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Netherlands must ban cryptocurrencies immediately: CPB head

nltimes.nl

51–60 of 211 posts

Re: Netherlands must ban cryptocurrencies immediately: CPB head

#51
post #6

There's plenty of valid criticisms against crypto, I feel like they've picked some of the weakest ones. > cryptocurrencies are used because people think they will one day replace traditional money Maybe a tiny minority, sounds like a strawman. > a contagious story in which people believe because other people believe in it Isn't fiat the same? Money only has value because people believe it has value / will have value…

Fiat is backed by weapons. The same weapons that defend your house from other countries and force you to give up half your salary. My main criticism to cryptocurrencies is that they're mostly unbacked. The ones that are backed by Fiat have similar problems to Fiat currency (why would I need that?), the ones that are backed by physical assets are much more interesting - but they don't seem to be the mainstream ones, p…

Stablecoins have opened up some interesting ideas about what it means to be backed/unbacked; even ones that are stablised/pegged algorithmically:

https://www.theancientbabylonians.com/what-is-terra-luna/ has a good summary

Re: Netherlands must ban cryptocurrencies immediately: CPB head

#52

It makes a lot of sense for a country that has significant portions of its territory below sea level. But, I wonder. For years I was absolutely baffled by how the world decided to ignore crypto environmental footprint. Then, out of the blue, a few months ago, it looks like EVERYBODY is talking about it. Then, the G-7 wants to impose the beginning of a global tax regime upon the developed nations (that's what it is ba…

apparently ripple (xrp) is behind the fud campaign against POW, which is why we've seen such an uptick in negative news against it recently

Re: Netherlands must ban cryptocurrencies immediately: CPB head

#53

It makes a lot of sense for a country that has significant portions of its territory below sea level. But, I wonder. For years I was absolutely baffled by how the world decided to ignore crypto environmental footprint. Then, out of the blue, a few months ago, it looks like EVERYBODY is talking about it. Then, the G-7 wants to impose the beginning of a global tax regime upon the developed nations (that's what it is ba…

The "nobody visibly cared, then some people cared more loudly, then everyone cared" pattern exists in essentially everything.

Climate change, opioid addiction, police murders, genocide in China, microplastics, childhood obesity, #metoo, whatever other thing.

That's just how society works. There are a billion different things happening every day, at any given moment some are gaining attention and some are losing attention. Everybody will care about the most popular one for a while, some laws might get passed or someone might go to jail or get elected or give a speech, and then it'll fade from the mainstream news and daily conversation will move on to the next issue.

This isn't some coordinated conspiracy, this is the pattern of how literally every issue ebbs and flows in attention.

Re: Netherlands must ban cryptocurrencies immediately: CPB head

#54

It makes a lot of sense for a country that has significant portions of its territory below sea level. But, I wonder. For years I was absolutely baffled by how the world decided to ignore crypto environmental footprint. Then, out of the blue, a few months ago, it looks like EVERYBODY is talking about it. Then, the G-7 wants to impose the beginning of a global tax regime upon the developed nations (that's what it is ba…

The misallocation of resources into crypto mining also now has real-world implications. GPUs and other chips being unavailable, for example.

Re: Netherlands must ban cryptocurrencies immediately: CPB head

#55
post #19
post #6

There's plenty of valid criticisms against crypto, I feel like they've picked some of the weakest ones. > cryptocurrencies are used because people think they will one day replace traditional money Maybe a tiny minority, sounds like a strawman. > a contagious story in which people believe because other people believe in it Isn't fiat the same? Money only has value because people believe it has value / will have value…

> Maybe a tiny minority Wait, what? That’s like the main reason people give when pumping it - “Bitcoin will replace fiat and it’s a good hedge against normal money.”

When normal money has failed good luck finding a wall charger to get into your Bitcoin wallet. Or more precisely the thing that makes electricity and computer hardware cheap and which is a prerequisite for crypto is a functional economic system. It is unlikely that a functional economic system will stay a whilst there is at the same time a collapse in fiat and a subsequent rise in crypto. It feels like wishful thinking.

Re: Netherlands must ban cryptocurrencies immediately: CPB head

#56
post #6

There's plenty of valid criticisms against crypto, I feel like they've picked some of the weakest ones. > cryptocurrencies are used because people think they will one day replace traditional money Maybe a tiny minority, sounds like a strawman. > a contagious story in which people believe because other people believe in it Isn't fiat the same? Money only has value because people believe it has value / will have value…

The argument used in the article is "citing fraud, criminal use, and financial instability"

Fiat currency of course never being used in those.

Cryptocurrencies are an object of value due to scarcity alone. In that sense, it is no different from various rare materials.

The difference with fiat is that governments mandate that it be legal tender, that al who do business must accept it but I am left to wonder, what if I were to open a store and accept bitcoins and euros, as I must operating in an area where euros are legal tender, — what if I simply make the price in euros so much higher than that in bitcoins that no one would ever pay in euros over bitcoins.

Is this legal? can the government tell me how to set my own prices for different currencies?

Re: Netherlands must ban cryptocurrencies immediately: CPB head

#57
post #6

There's plenty of valid criticisms against crypto, I feel like they've picked some of the weakest ones. > cryptocurrencies are used because people think they will one day replace traditional money Maybe a tiny minority, sounds like a strawman. > a contagious story in which people believe because other people believe in it Isn't fiat the same? Money only has value because people believe it has value / will have value…

Fiat is backed by weapons. The same weapons that defend your house from other countries and force you to give up half your salary. My main criticism to cryptocurrencies is that they're mostly unbacked. The ones that are backed by Fiat have similar problems to Fiat currency (why would I need that?), the ones that are backed by physical assets are much more interesting - but they don't seem to be the mainstream ones, p…

> Fiat is backed by weapons.

This is one of the most hilarious misunderstandings of how monetization works. Is someone from the army going to come shoot me if I charge too many USD for a hamburger?

Re: Netherlands must ban cryptocurrencies immediately: CPB head

#58
post #6

There's plenty of valid criticisms against crypto, I feel like they've picked some of the weakest ones. > cryptocurrencies are used because people think they will one day replace traditional money Maybe a tiny minority, sounds like a strawman. > a contagious story in which people believe because other people believe in it Isn't fiat the same? Money only has value because people believe it has value / will have value…

Fiat is backed by weapons. The same weapons that defend your house from other countries and force you to give up half your salary. My main criticism to cryptocurrencies is that they're mostly unbacked. The ones that are backed by Fiat have similar problems to Fiat currency (why would I need that?), the ones that are backed by physical assets are much more interesting - but they don't seem to be the mainstream ones, p…

Various valued materials that are valued only for their rarity are similarly unbacked, and also mined.

Re: Netherlands must ban cryptocurrencies immediately: CPB head

#59
post #55
post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Maybe a tiny minority Wait, what? That’s like the main reason people give when pumping it - “Bitcoin will replace fiat and it’s a good hedge against normal money.”

When normal money has failed good luck finding a wall charger to get into your Bitcoin wallet. Or more precisely the thing that makes electricity and computer hardware cheap and which is a prerequisite for crypto is a functional economic system. It is unlikely that a functional economic system will stay a whilst there is at the same time a collapse in fiat and a subsequent rise in crypto. It feels like wishful thinki…

Currency collapses happen all the time without bringing down the electrical grid/internet.

Re: Netherlands must ban cryptocurrencies immediately: CPB head

#60
post #55
post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Maybe a tiny minority Wait, what? That’s like the main reason people give when pumping it - “Bitcoin will replace fiat and it’s a good hedge against normal money.”

When normal money has failed good luck finding a wall charger to get into your Bitcoin wallet. Or more precisely the thing that makes electricity and computer hardware cheap and which is a prerequisite for crypto is a functional economic system. It is unlikely that a functional economic system will stay a whilst there is at the same time a collapse in fiat and a subsequent rise in crypto. It feels like wishful thinki…

This is exactly what I don’t understand about the doomsday crowd. How exactly do they plan on using crypto amidst worldwide pandemonium?
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