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Topic: Why is Bitcoin so popular in Oregon? (Read 5314 times)

member
Activity: 83
Merit: 10
https://bitgo.com
July 10, 2013, 05:04:36 PM
#52
I have been promoting bitcoin in Portland full time for the last year. I have left bitcoin info cards at hundreds of stores and restaurants that I have gone to. I have a handful of merchants locally accepting bitcoin including Harp vegan cafe, Mirador community store, Thirst PDX health store, FloatOn float tanks, and others that are soon coming online. Ive gotten dozens of Etsy merchants based out of Portland to accept bitcoin, such as  http://www.etsy.com/shop/tarabrisbine , or you can get hypnosis sessions locally for bitcoin from  http://jillianbrownhypnosis.com/. Ive given talks to the bitcoin group that Ive organized over facebook with over 100 members now. We had a meeting last month with 25 people, and have our coming meetup this sunday. I gave a talk on bitcoins to the Business Technology class at the local community college, as well as the local Silver and Gold club, and at the Occupy Portland events.  I have sold bitcoin to many dozen people via localbitcoins.com, got them setup and showed them how to use it. I am scheduled to be on a currency panel being interviewed on KBOO radio in two weeks.  I also love my city, I think its a great place.




This is great. How are you addressing to the public the legal ramifications of business owners dealing in BTC? They will all need federal MSB registrations and Oregon Money Transmitter Licenses. Otherwise they can all be shut down anytime.
sr. member
Activity: 260
Merit: 250
July 10, 2013, 04:58:55 PM
#51
... I also now pay cash as recently there is a fee for using credit and debit cards.  I don't think the big bad government had much to do with that ...
Actually, it did.  The CC companies, which of course charge merchants a fee for each transaction, used to forbid passing that fee on to customers.  Merchants were not allowed to charge CC users more than cash/check customers.  The credit reforms that were passed a few years ago put the kabash on that practice.  I don't know why the practice of discounting cash purchases has not become more wide spread.  The only reasons I can think of are 1) that merchants, as a group, really want people to use credit so that they buy more than they can really afford, and 2) the infrastructure needed to support credit surcharges (cash discounts) to customers needs to be developed and that is taking time.
hero member
Activity: 560
Merit: 500
July 10, 2013, 04:02:21 PM
#50
I see zero correlation between ball size and whether I want to pump my own gas or not.

Hang on, I think I have a chart around here for that.
legendary
Activity: 1400
Merit: 1005
July 10, 2013, 03:19:23 PM
#49
Since the rest of you don't seem to be saving much money for exercising your God-given right to pump your own gas, I would say that it is a fair guess that your money is going straight into the pockets of your politicians, corporate executive's bonuses, and lobbying firms.

There are pros and cons to living in any state or country. The issue I find humourous is not among your distractions: how much land you own, how much tax you pay, what you pay for gas in CA, or where my state spends the money I pay for gas (that I may choose to pump myself, BTW).

The issue is folks claiming to be rebels, anarchists and devout freedom lovers who then get warm fuzzies over not being allowed to choose the simple act of pumping one's own gas, a freedom they used to have which was lost @1950 or so. I'm not much of a rebel, anarchist or freedom fighter but this irony is too much to let it go unnoticed.

Oregon may be a fine state. More power to you rebellious lot. At least your motorcyclists have some balls:
http://oregonmotorcyclist.com/misc_page.php?page=pumpgas
http://mentalfloss.com/article/18812/why-cant-you-pump-your-own-gas-oregon-and-new-jersey

Meanwhile a timid Californian grandmother apparently has more balls than an Oregonian steel worker. I have heard tales of teams of fearless Hollywood grannies mustering the courage to pull into any local gas station, get out of their old Cadillac Sevilles and pump their own gas. In public, no less!
I see zero correlation between ball size and whether I want to pump my own gas or not.  It's a matter of comfort, not of gonads.

The issue isn't a choice of pumping your own gas or not.  It is a choice of living in a state where you have to pump your own gas vs living in a state where someone else has to pump your gas.  As far as I am aware of, there isn't a state where you can actually choose which one you want.  Maybe a rare gas station here and there that gives you the option, but no state has them as an option on a regular basis.

I once drove from NJ to CA there are numerous states where you can pump your own or have someone do it at a higher price.
Alright then, I have never met such a station, but I also don't travel a whole lot so I'll take your word for it.  I redact my prior point then.
hero member
Activity: 490
Merit: 501
July 10, 2013, 03:17:39 PM
#48
Since the rest of you don't seem to be saving much money for exercising your God-given right to pump your own gas, I would say that it is a fair guess that your money is going straight into the pockets of your politicians, corporate executive's bonuses, and lobbying firms.

There are pros and cons to living in any state or country. The issue I find humourous is not among your distractions: how much land you own, how much tax you pay, what you pay for gas in CA, or where my state spends the money I pay for gas (that I may choose to pump myself, BTW).

The issue is folks claiming to be rebels, anarchists and devout freedom lovers who then get warm fuzzies over not being allowed to choose the simple act of pumping one's own gas, a freedom they used to have which was lost @1950 or so. I'm not much of a rebel, anarchist or freedom fighter but this irony is too much to let it go unnoticed.

Oregon may be a fine state. More power to you rebellious lot. At least your motorcyclists have some balls:
http://oregonmotorcyclist.com/misc_page.php?page=pumpgas
http://mentalfloss.com/article/18812/why-cant-you-pump-your-own-gas-oregon-and-new-jersey

Meanwhile a timid Californian grandmother apparently has more balls than an Oregonian steel worker. I have heard tales of teams of fearless Hollywood grannies mustering the courage to pull into any local gas station, get out of their old Cadillac Sevilles and pump their own gas. In public, no less!
I see zero correlation between ball size and whether I want to pump my own gas or not.  It's a matter of comfort, not of gonads.

The issue isn't a choice of pumping your own gas or not.  It is a choice of living in a state where you have to pump your own gas vs living in a state where someone else has to pump your gas.  As far as I am aware of, there isn't a state where you can actually choose which one you want.  Maybe a rare gas station here and there that gives you the option, but no state has them as an option on a regular basis.

I once drove from NJ to CA there are numerous states where you can pump your own or have someone do it at a higher price.
newbie
Activity: 22
Merit: 0
July 10, 2013, 03:15:30 PM
#47
Oregons got the best pot
legendary
Activity: 1400
Merit: 1005
July 10, 2013, 03:11:18 PM
#46
Since the rest of you don't seem to be saving much money for exercising your God-given right to pump your own gas, I would say that it is a fair guess that your money is going straight into the pockets of your politicians, corporate executive's bonuses, and lobbying firms.

There are pros and cons to living in any state or country. The issue I find humourous is not among your distractions: how much land you own, how much tax you pay, what you pay for gas in CA, or where my state spends the money I pay for gas (that I may choose to pump myself, BTW).

The issue is folks claiming to be rebels, anarchists and devout freedom lovers who then get warm fuzzies over not being allowed to choose the simple act of pumping one's own gas, a freedom they used to have which was lost @1950 or so. I'm not much of a rebel, anarchist or freedom fighter but this irony is too much to let it go unnoticed.

Oregon may be a fine state. More power to you rebellious lot. At least your motorcyclists have some balls:
http://oregonmotorcyclist.com/misc_page.php?page=pumpgas
http://mentalfloss.com/article/18812/why-cant-you-pump-your-own-gas-oregon-and-new-jersey

Meanwhile a timid Californian grandmother apparently has more balls than an Oregonian steel worker. I have heard tales of teams of fearless Hollywood grannies mustering the courage to pull into any local gas station, get out of their old Cadillac Sevilles and pump their own gas. In public, no less!
I see zero correlation between ball size and whether I want to pump my own gas or not.  It's a matter of comfort, not of gonads.

The issue isn't a choice of pumping your own gas or not.  It is a choice of living in a state where you have to pump your own gas vs living in a state where someone else has to pump your gas.  As far as I am aware of, there isn't a state where you can actually choose which one you want.  Maybe a rare gas station here and there that gives you the option, but no state has them as an option on a regular basis.

EDIT:  Nevermind, turns out I was wrong.  It is a shame that we have lost this freedom then.  If I could save money pumping gas myself, I would.
newbie
Activity: 22
Merit: 0
July 10, 2013, 03:06:11 PM
#45
I live in Oregon Smiley
legendary
Activity: 4760
Merit: 1283
July 10, 2013, 03:05:50 PM
#44
...
Meanwhile a timid Californian grandmother apparently has more balls than an Oregonian steel worker. I have heard tales of teams of fearless Hollywood grannies mustering the courage to pull into any local gas station, get out of their old Cadillac Sevilles and pump their own gas. In public, no less!

I pump my own gas in Oregon on a regular basis.  It's fine in certain situations.  I also now pay cash as recently there is a fee for using credit and debit cards.  I don't think the big bad government had much to do with that, but I also don't care.  I prefer cash anyway...and did even when PRISM was just a tinfoil hat conspiracy theory to most.

I'm guessing that you probably bounce around from one failed state to the next to avoid oppressive government mandates like all Libertarians/Anarchists who actually believe their own rhetoric?  Or maybe not as you seem to be able to access the Internet and have power for your computer.  Or is it solar powered?  I keep hoping that eventually a Libertarian utopia will pop up but for some reason it never quit seems to materialize or last very long.  What's up with that?

hero member
Activity: 560
Merit: 500
July 10, 2013, 02:13:54 PM
#43
Since the rest of you don't seem to be saving much money for exercising your God-given right to pump your own gas, I would say that it is a fair guess that your money is going straight into the pockets of your politicians, corporate executive's bonuses, and lobbying firms.

There are pros and cons to living in any state or country. The issue I find humourous is not among your distractions: how much land you own, how much tax you pay, what you pay for gas in CA, or where my state spends the money I pay for gas (that I may choose to pump myself, BTW).

The issue is folks claiming to be rebels, anarchists and devout freedom lovers who then get warm fuzzies over not being allowed to choose the simple act of pumping one's own gas, a freedom they used to have which was lost @1950 or so. I'm not much of a rebel, anarchist or freedom fighter but this irony is too much to let it go unnoticed.

Oregon may be a fine state. More power to you rebellious lot. At least your motorcyclists have some balls:
http://oregonmotorcyclist.com/misc_page.php?page=pumpgas
http://mentalfloss.com/article/18812/why-cant-you-pump-your-own-gas-oregon-and-new-jersey

Meanwhile a timid Californian grandmother apparently has more balls than an Oregonian steel worker. I have heard tales of teams of fearless Hollywood grannies mustering the courage to pull into any local gas station, get out of their old Cadillac Sevilles and pump their own gas. In public, no less!
kjj
legendary
Activity: 1302
Merit: 1026
July 10, 2013, 02:03:47 PM
#42
I was looking for maps where Oregon is in the top ranking, to correlate with Bitcoin use. Besides Bigfoot sightings and breast feeding, I came up with two:

Is this fake?  I live in TN, and we certainly have no Income tax.

Read the text.  TN has an income tax on interest and dividends, not wages.
sr. member
Activity: 361
Merit: 250
July 10, 2013, 01:31:04 PM
#41
Oregon, Utah and New Hampshire are the top states in the US. I guess this means that states around those states could become the quickest adopters of BTC in the US....

But, other than that, what do they have in common? Not too much other than they are on planet earth...

https://www.goldsilverbitcoin.com/what-do-oregon-utah-new-hampshire-have-in-common/
legendary
Activity: 4760
Merit: 1283
July 10, 2013, 01:29:10 PM
#40
This thread is hilarious! Oregon "rebels" glowing over the "freedom" to NOT be allowed to pump gas. Amazing...

From a practical perspective, I pay less for gasoline than in CA.  I usually go into the store and buy something since I don't have to stand at the pump.  In the store, I pay no sales tax.  I own a great deal of property in Oregon and pay less in property tax per year than one month of rent on a crappy apartment in silicon valley.

Operating the pumps provides some economic opportunity for more rural communities lessening the pressure for urbanization.  It also reduces the propensity for crime when more people have something which passes for a job and that reduces the law enforcement expenditures.

We also send legislators to Washington who actively fight against the 'turn-key tyranny' of the federal surveillance state which basically exists mainly to support bankers and war profiteers at this point.  DeFazio, Wyden, Merkley.  I think it no coincidence that the same people who vote for these types of people are also especially interested in constructs such as distributed crypto-currencies.

It is worth note that as a state we are not financially well off since we are at or very close to the bottom of the money we extract from the military industrial complex and probably from the banking infrastructure.  We cannot afford to implement counter-productive policies on some vague assertion that they align with some libertarian principle or whatever.  Since the rest of you don't seem to be saving much money for exercising your God-given right to pump your own gas, I would say that it is a fair guess that your money is going straight into the pockets of your politicians, corporate executive's bonuses, and lobbying firms.

legendary
Activity: 1400
Merit: 1005
July 10, 2013, 01:09:01 PM
#39
This thread is hilarious! Oregon "rebels" glowing over the "freedom" to NOT be allowed to pump gas. Amazing...
I never said it was freedom.  I just enjoy the pump service.

I was looking for maps where Oregon is in the top ranking, to correlate with Bitcoin use. Besides Bigfoot sightings and breast feeding, I came up with two:

State income tax rates:


Is this fake?  I live in TN, and we certainly have no Income tax.
Well, TN is odd... it has striped green and white.  Not sure what that means, since the legend doesn't say.  But I know that for Oregon, it is accurate.  We have income tax instead of sales tax.
sr. member
Activity: 457
Merit: 250
July 10, 2013, 01:06:18 PM
#38
... and cheap electrics too!
hero member
Activity: 490
Merit: 501
July 10, 2013, 12:59:43 PM
#37
We can't pump our own gas in NJ either, I hate getting gas out of state. I don't know how to use those machines and don't like smelling like gas. Undecided

As for why Bitcoin in Oregon, they don't corrode in the rain.
full member
Activity: 199
Merit: 100
July 10, 2013, 12:59:04 PM
#36
I was looking for maps where Oregon is in the top ranking, to correlate with Bitcoin use. Besides Bigfoot sightings and breast feeding, I came up with two:

State income tax rates:


Is this fake?  I live in TN, and we certainly have no Income tax.
sr. member
Activity: 462
Merit: 250
July 10, 2013, 12:52:49 PM
#35
I have been promoting bitcoin in Portland full time for the last year. I have left bitcoin info cards at hundreds of stores and restaurants that I have gone to. I have a handful of merchants locally accepting bitcoin including Harp vegan cafe, Mirador community store, Thirst PDX health store, FloatOn float tanks, and others that are soon coming online. Ive gotten dozens of Etsy merchants based out of Portland to accept bitcoin, such as  http://www.etsy.com/shop/tarabrisbine , or you can get hypnosis sessions locally for bitcoin from  http://jillianbrownhypnosis.com/. Ive given talks to the bitcoin group that Ive organized over facebook with over 100 members now. We had a meeting last month with 25 people, and have our coming meetup this sunday. I gave a talk on bitcoins to the Business Technology class at the local community college, as well as the local Silver and Gold club, and at the Occupy Portland events.  I have sold bitcoin to many dozen people via localbitcoins.com, got them setup and showed them how to use it. I am scheduled to be on a currency panel being interviewed on KBOO radio in two weeks.  I also love my city, I think its a great place.




Kudos osmosis

We need more of this in every city around the world

I am also interested in sharing what you have done with our local meetup, PM sent
hero member
Activity: 560
Merit: 500
July 10, 2013, 12:36:06 PM
#34
This thread is hilarious! Oregon "rebels" glowing over the "freedom" to NOT be allowed to pump gas. Amazing...
legendary
Activity: 1400
Merit: 1005
July 10, 2013, 11:24:31 AM
#33
You are not even allowed to pump your own gas because the government is so into protecting you from yourself.

This is correct, the only states where you can't pump your own gas are Oregon and New Jersey. Talk about a nanny state. The reason gas rates are cheaper is because of lower gas taxes, not because of people pumping gas for you.

Course in Oregon you are allowed to kill yourself medically, so I guess they get points for that.
It might be a nanny state, but it's one part of the nanny state I appreciate!  I like being able to stay warm/cool/dry in my car while someone else does the dirty work.
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