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This once again proves a use case for unstoppable digital cash: the fact that if you don’t like it, you can not stop it. In a world of free speech, and more Im

This once again proves a use case for unstoppable digital cash: the fact that if you don’t like it, you can not stop it. In a world of free speech, and more Importantly, freedom of movement, this is the kind of money you need. What good is it to a person if he can escape a scary regime but can’t take his lives savings with him?

krapp 5y ago
>What good is it to a person if he can escape a scary regime but can’t take his lives savings with him? They still escape with their lives. This was sufficient for people escaping scary regimes for centuries - they arrived at Ellis Island with nothing but a suitcase and still managed, or jumped a wall or snuck across a border with just the clothes on their back.
- magicjosh 5y ago
  There seems to have been an informal requirement [1] to have $25 to pass through Ellis Island less they become a burden on the public system. Adjust for 1909 dollars, that's $700 today...or 0.02 BTC. "Many families sold everything they had". Unfortunately, escaping regimes is expensive. Many Americans today would not be able to pay this fee. [1] https://books.google.com/books?id=QjA_AwAAQBAJ&pg=PA77&lpg=PA77&dq=ellis+island+$25+requirement&source=bl&ots=JVNFZ-M0ZS&sig=ACfU3U0TmMGpDH37FKf_xOlhoyz8Tnq2dw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi2v4P1_vf1AhX1IEQIHWHhCQUQ6AF6BAgyEAI#v=onepage&q&f=false https://books.google.com/books?id=QjA_AwAAQBAJ&pg=PA77&lpg=P...
  - magicjosh 5y ago
    Now I'm wondering if the cost of escaping regimes is actually part of the reason regimes persist. This may be more obvious to others, appreciate other perspectives here.
- lp0_on_fire 5y ago
  One would hope in 2022 we could have better options than arriving at Ellis Island with nothing but a suitcase and the clothes on your back.
  - mythrwy 5y ago
    Yes, but then how would we get all the stories about going on to form a fortune 500 company or some other high achievement? Because many of those seem to start with "nothing but a suitcase and the clothes on their back".
- medo-bear 5y ago
  > This was sufficient for people escaping scary regimes for centuries just curious, are you grandstanding or have you (or even your close relatives) been through such a situation? with statements like this it can only be one or the other. also it does not have to be escaping a "scary regime". it can be escaping war for example
  - s1artibartfast 5y ago
    > What good is it to a person if he can escape a scary regime but can’t take his lives savings with him? >>> This was sufficient for people escaping scary regimes for centuries Clearly saving your life is sufficient reason to escape. Not optimal, but certainly enough reason. Are you claiming you would rather you and your family die than lose your money?
    - medo-bear 5y ago
      are you saying that taking your money with you is not important? and since you asked, i know a lot of people who did not leave major conflict zones because they would have nothing. for example one person very close to me sent his children and wife overseas when fighting in former yugoslavia started while he stayed to protect their house from looters. next day he was kidnapped but luckily he survived and reunited with his family. shared this story only for sake of a different perspective
      - s1artibartfast 5y ago
        >are you saying that taking your money with you is not important? Not at all, and I don't think the original person you responded to was either. I am just saying that there are times you would want to flee even if it means loosing your wealth. This should be obvious, but someone didn't get it. >What good is it to a person if he can escape a scary regime but can’t take his lives savings with him?
        medo-bear 5y ago
        the parent to whom i was responding to said it is sufficient. it is sufficient only in retrospect at which point it is a truism. the point i trying to make is that even in places where there is major conflict a lot of people do not realize that they will make a right decision. having a mechanism to move their money might help them to make a safer decision
JeremyBanks 5y ago
dumdumdumdum 5y ago
> What good is it to a person if he can escape a scary regime but can’t take his lives savings with him? What if unstoppable digital cash makes it easier to setup a "scary regime" in the first place? Where do we escape to when every place is run by such people? How would we reign-in the power that such individuals would have?
- medo-bear 5y ago
  scary regimes seem to exist without digital cash. nk does pretty fine just with barter

krapp 5y ago

>What good is it to a person if he can escape a scary regime but can’t take his lives savings with him? They still escape with their lives. This was sufficient for people escaping scary regimes for centuries - they arrived at Ellis Island with nothing but a suitcase and still managed, or jumped a wall or snuck across a border with just the clothes on their back.

magicjosh 5y ago
There seems to have been an informal requirement [1] to have $25 to pass through Ellis Island less they become a burden on the public system. Adjust for 1909 dollars, that's $700 today...or 0.02 BTC. "Many families sold everything they had". Unfortunately, escaping regimes is expensive. Many Americans today would not be able to pay this fee. [1] https://books.google.com/books?id=QjA_AwAAQBAJ&pg=PA77&lpg=PA77&dq=ellis+island+$25+requirement&source=bl&ots=JVNFZ-M0ZS&sig=ACfU3U0TmMGpDH37FKf_xOlhoyz8Tnq2dw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi2v4P1_vf1AhX1IEQIHWHhCQUQ6AF6BAgyEAI#v=onepage&q&f=false https://books.google.com/books?id=QjA_AwAAQBAJ&pg=PA77&lpg=P...
- magicjosh 5y ago
  Now I'm wondering if the cost of escaping regimes is actually part of the reason regimes persist. This may be more obvious to others, appreciate other perspectives here.
lp0_on_fire 5y ago
One would hope in 2022 we could have better options than arriving at Ellis Island with nothing but a suitcase and the clothes on your back.
- mythrwy 5y ago
  Yes, but then how would we get all the stories about going on to form a fortune 500 company or some other high achievement? Because many of those seem to start with "nothing but a suitcase and the clothes on their back".
medo-bear 5y ago
> This was sufficient for people escaping scary regimes for centuries just curious, are you grandstanding or have you (or even your close relatives) been through such a situation? with statements like this it can only be one or the other. also it does not have to be escaping a "scary regime". it can be escaping war for example
- s1artibartfast 5y ago
  > What good is it to a person if he can escape a scary regime but can’t take his lives savings with him? >>> This was sufficient for people escaping scary regimes for centuries Clearly saving your life is sufficient reason to escape. Not optimal, but certainly enough reason. Are you claiming you would rather you and your family die than lose your money?
  - medo-bear 5y ago
    are you saying that taking your money with you is not important? and since you asked, i know a lot of people who did not leave major conflict zones because they would have nothing. for example one person very close to me sent his children and wife overseas when fighting in former yugoslavia started while he stayed to protect their house from looters. next day he was kidnapped but luckily he survived and reunited with his family. shared this story only for sake of a different perspective
    - s1artibartfast 5y ago
      >are you saying that taking your money with you is not important? Not at all, and I don't think the original person you responded to was either. I am just saying that there are times you would want to flee even if it means loosing your wealth. This should be obvious, but someone didn't get it. >What good is it to a person if he can escape a scary regime but can’t take his lives savings with him?
      - medo-bear 5y ago
        the parent to whom i was responding to said it is sufficient. it is sufficient only in retrospect at which point it is a truism. the point i trying to make is that even in places where there is major conflict a lot of people do not realize that they will make a right decision. having a mechanism to move their money might help them to make a safer decision

JeremyBanks 5y ago

dumdumdumdum 5y ago

> What good is it to a person if he can escape a scary regime but can’t take his lives savings with him? What if unstoppable digital cash makes it easier to setup a "scary regime" in the first place? Where do we escape to when every place is run by such people? How would we reign-in the power that such individuals would have?

medo-bear 5y ago
scary regimes seem to exist without digital cash. nk does pretty fine just with barter