I will throw a conspiracy theory out there: yufu and co are trying to create an artificial market for clean freshly mined coins. Who probably has an enormous number of ASIC minted coins? Wouldn't it be fantastic if you could sell clean coins at a premium?
Sounds like market manipulation to me. There are only so many bitcoins, but they are trying to create a market where some (theirs) are worth more then others.
Sounds quite accurate.
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Connecting Bitcoin with government will sanitize the government more than it does Bitcoin." - This Voorheesian notion that all interaction with government is ultimately good for Bitcoin because Bitcoin is fundamentally more competitive and beneficial than government money is flawed...
It's my understanding that at the current point in time Bitcoin is not threatened with illegal status, and Bitcoin businesses are freely operating within money services business, FinCEN guidelines etc. Unless this move knocks down heavier regulations for lighter ones, I don't see how it's doing anything but slowing down adoption and benefitting those who jump in bed with government and utilize it's coercive force. It's my understanding that these would simply be additional restrictions, because Bitcoin is not currently illegal, and not looking like it will be.
If Bitcoin is already legal, there is nothing to be gained from restricting it's use. Restricting it's use is the definition of hurting it, even if it will ultimately survive the restrictions because smart participants will ignore the restrictions or find ways around them. This is the early Bitcoin interests trying to maximize their gain at the expense of later ones. This is what Bitcoin corruption, and corruption in general smells like, utilizing the violence of the state to take from the common man and give it to the future elite.
If these people truly want to put their money to work to benefit others and themselves they could: Increase network security by continuing to mine, develop new wallet software that is easier to use, contribute to the protocol, develop products that accept, or are based in Bitcoin, et cetera, etc.
Correct me if I'm wrong, is Bitcoin on the verge of being illegal? Is losing this small battle to win overall legal status the actual case here? What is the actual breakdown of this action, is this trading overall legal status for restrictions on it's use? Or is this just restrictions on it's use, as there is no indication that it's going to be illegal yet.