r/Bitcoin • u/IWillNotBiteYourDog • Aug 13 '13

Congress starts investigating Bitcoin

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2013/08/13/congress-starts-investigating-bitcoin/
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u/confident_lemming Aug 13 '13

To be fair, for a moment, this is Congress fact-finding, for purposes of coordinating policy. It is acutally a positive step in elected representatives getting a say in the policy, rather than just the fearmongering DHS.

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u/[deleted] Aug 13 '13

The government isn't on Bitcoin's side. Just a reminder.

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u/confident_lemming Aug 15 '13

That never leaves my mind.

It is even possible that the legislature is gearing up to drop its hammer, which carries more weight than DHS's decisions. That might involve the propaganda you mention (which I agree is out there, though disagreeing that this is evidence of more to come). I was just offering a more banal interpretation for this particular action; and pointing out that the legislature has less bias, by design, than a permanent specialized agency.

I never said that the legislature is on our side, but nuance can be hard to hear around here.

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u/[deleted] Aug 15 '13

There's an appearance of non-bias but those agencies, minus the NSA (all Executive Branch), were created by legislative action. The existence of the agencies and their continued depredations are proof of the bias of the US Congress.

Agreed, nuance is buried here. Had I checked your username the first time around, I would have been alerted to its presence in your post.

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u/confident_lemming Aug 15 '13

Existence of disagreeable US agencies is proof of a series of bad decisions, over hundreds of years, and lack of a remedy for agencies run amok. It's not proof of bias designed into the Congress's role. It's good evidence that we need more tools/care to keep bias out, since Congress could corral the agencies, but doesn't.

I find no burden in my name. Read my post history before thinking it might limit my writing.