and now they're about to do it again, in
ukraine. it's already written in to law in a good few other countries, too.
Here we go again. I can see it now... That 'Bitcoin User Not Affected' meme will be making a comeback.
This thread is nearly a year old. OP was made on 28 March last year.
And what has changed? Nothing... One thing that's changed is
the price of Bitcoin.Wasn't it around $228 USD about this time last year? Even though it appears to be trending downward from a high north of . . . was it $1,100 ? . . . it's still at $450+ USD right now. Don't know if it will stay there or go back to $228 and even below, but that's just about a 100% return year over year.
Of course that could change. Past performance is no guarantee and all.
And it would surely suck to be one of those who bought in at $1,100 and decided to hold onto it for the long haul.
But I look at Bitcoin differently. I don't think of it as a store of value so much as a method of safely moving money across borders when one travels. Especially if you travel to Argentina and elsewhere with major inflation problems right now. People buy and sell in Bitcoin in Argentina because nobody wants to be stuck holding the local currency that's falling down, not just trending down.
The true usefulness of Bitcoin is when you are traveling or moving from one country to another. YOU move, but your
money Bitcoin doesn't have to move with you. And yet you don't have to worry about border guards trying to lift it from you, seize it, claim you are a smuggler, or any of that other stuff that happens with cash above a certain amount or with gold . . . like that guy who got stuck in Mexico some time back trying to move his gold down to Panama and did not make it all the way there. Brain wallets might work, and also Wuala or Mega definitely work for holding the details of what you need in order to convert to the local currency upon your arrival.
Try traveling and taking your gold - either bullion or coins - with you. It's just not the same, just not that easy. Especially when you compare it to "moving" Bitcoin.
And if you are relocating, after converting to the local fiat, you're free to convert the local stuff to gold and/or silver or whatever else you might want . . . until your next move.