Re: No digital coins (was: Chaum on the wrong foot?)

["Perry E. Metzger" <pmetzger@lehman.com>]

Eric Hughes says:
> >Charge you for performing services? Shudder -- how horrible!
> >Capitalism! Ohmygod!
> 
[...]
> I read your words as an attempt to enforce a sort of libertarian
> political correctness, as insulting as that phrase will no doubt be to
> you.

There is no enforcement involved. If you truly feel that there is some
sort of horrific "power relationship" between large banks and their
customers, I would suggest that since the worst that they do to you is
charge you for performing services that you are upset with the notion
of banks charging for services.

> The agenda of privacy is orthogonal to most partisan political
> positions.

I strongly disagree. The liberal and conservative agendas depend on
control of the people in order to work. Privacy, cryptocash, etc. will
all result in a strong shift towards a libertarian society -- without
any need for people to try to produce such a society. When you can no
longer trace money transfers, for example, taxation becomes difficult
-- and any social programs you desire based on taxation become
difficult. If you are truly a liberal, strong privacy rights are
counter to what you truly want, and I would suggest that you reexamine
whether or not you hold a consistant position, as your position in
favor of privacy might be counterproductive to your position in favor
of what now goes by the term "liberalism". I would be happy to see you
favor strong privacy rights anyway -- but I am constrained by honesty
to point out that I don't think strong privacy and a state based on
coercive taxation are compatible.

I do not feel that this list should be involved in discussions of
libertarianism vs. any other political theory -- but I will point out
that it was you, not me, that brought up the question of whether big
banks are a good or bad thing, which is very much a political
question. I'll happily steer clear of this entire topic if you will.

Perry