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It's worse than that: cash is at least nominally provided and supported by governments themselves; whatever stupid or unjust constraints are on paper dollars [0

It's worse than that: cash is at least nominally provided and supported by governments themselves; whatever stupid or unjust constraints are on paper dollars [0], they are at least currently "legal tender for all debts public and private". Criminalizing "unauthorized" wallets amounts to outlawing all "off-books" exchange relationships, from time-banks to babysitting clubs [1] to "I'll trade you three apples for two oranges". At the end of the day, a blockchain is merely a fancy way to implement a spreadsheet, and any sufficiently advanced (and encrypted) spreadsheet can be used to establish economic relationships that escape tax liability. I'm far from a "taxation is theft" libertarian (if anything, I skew democratic socialist [2]). But this is a root problem with our system of taxation and public goods funding as it exists today: it can only be fully enforced in the context of a surveillance state. We currently tolerate some small amounts of non-compliance (no one taxes teenagers mowing lawns in exchange for cash), but as these "off-books" transactions scale into the billions, a clash between free speech and tax obligation is inevitable. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_forfeiture_in_the_United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_forfeiture_in_the_United... [1] http://www.pkarchive.org/theory/baby.html http://www.pkarchive.org/theory/baby.html [2] https://theblockchainsocialist.com/ https://theblockchainsocialist.com/

youalreadylost 5y ago
'Legal tender' is an evolution of redeemable for real money. 'Trust us', and btw we have a monopoly on violence. I take exception the premise that a fully commie surveillance state is required for society to function. City states. Government at local scale. Living with the decisions made. Today's take: https://www.freeprivatecities.com https://www.freeprivatecities.com. > a blockchain is merely a fancy way to implement a spreadsheet, and any sufficiently advanced (and encrypted) spreadsheet can be used to establish economic relationships that escape tax liability. Sorry, 'blockchain' is a corporate buzzword or shitcoin scam. People who spend time to understand the significance of proof of work get it - I mean this with sincerity and hope that you will take the time to understand the implications of pow.
- lukifer 5y ago
  I may not have been clear: I am very much opposed to the existence of a surveillance state; and while I am not opposed to taxation or public goods a priori, I consider our current mechanisms of taxation to be both inefficient and problematic (contrast with Henry George's LVT, Pigovian taxes on externalities, luxury taxes, etc).

youalreadylost 5y ago

'Legal tender' is an evolution of redeemable for real money. 'Trust us', and btw we have a monopoly on violence. I take exception the premise that a fully commie surveillance state is required for society to function. City states. Government at local scale. Living with the decisions made. Today's take: https://www.freeprivatecities.com https://www.freeprivatecities.com. > a blockchain is merely a fancy way to implement a spreadsheet, and any sufficiently advanced (and encrypted) spreadsheet can be used to establish economic relationships that escape tax liability. Sorry, 'blockchain' is a corporate buzzword or shitcoin scam. People who spend time to understand the significance of proof of work get it - I mean this with sincerity and hope that you will take the time to understand the implications of pow.

lukifer 5y ago
I may not have been clear: I am very much opposed to the existence of a surveillance state; and while I am not opposed to taxation or public goods a priori, I consider our current mechanisms of taxation to be both inefficient and problematic (contrast with Henry George's LVT, Pigovian taxes on externalities, luxury taxes, etc).