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Re:Bitcoin is a disaster by xapata on Thursday December 31, 2020 @08:16PM (#25599631)
Government isn't a monolith. There are individuals within the government that have altruistic goals. It may be helpful for certain analyses to simplify and consider a government as an individual, but for other analyses that's counter-productive.
Re:Bitcoin is a disaster by syshum on Thursday December 31, 2020 @08:23PM (#25599706)
Government is a monolith, the goals of the individuals that make up the government are irrelevant.

The road to hell is paved with good intentions, and the most terrifying phrase in the English language is "We must do _____ for the greater good"

Government is not reason, it is not eloquence,it is force! Like fire, it is a dangerous servant, and a fearful master; never for a moment should it be left to irresponsible action.

Re:Bitcoin is a disaster by xapata on Thursday December 31, 2020 @08:30PM (#25599781)
You're spouting platitudes, which I enjoy sometimes for a dramatic turn of phrase, but they aren't helpful for rational discussion. They're best used for introducing a topic, but then we need a little more structure behind the facade.

Going back to the monolith question, the other day someone at the public utility helped me fix a mistake with my bill. That individual was not irrelevant to my experience with government power.

Re:Bitcoin is a disaster by chris_wot on Thursday December 31, 2020 @09:53PM (#25600365)
I’ve been noticing this sort of comment a lot in discussions of cryptocurrencies.

Take for instance the following response to the Ray Dillinger’s email:

Internet also became a disaster. We're very far from original ideas: Uncensored, decentralized ideals are forgotten.

I remember, in the beginning, governments were really afraid of people's reactions, even to make small regulations. Today, we don't even discuss before accepting any regulation about Internet. Infrastructure is almost completely controlled/owned by governments or cartels. [1]

That is so far beyond reality that it’s hard to believe this person was there “at the beginning”. The Internet, after all, started as a DARPA project...

1. https://www.metzdowd.com/pipermail/cryptography/2020-Decembe...