C'punks, On Thu, 14 Jul 1994, Timothy C. May wrote:
. . . As to why my assets are not well hidden, hiding assets is harder than you think, despite what some here on this list may claim. . . .
- Now I suspect my friend Duncan will mention that one can--and should--lease one's car from one's Nevada-based tax shelter company. Perhaps. But I again claim that this is much easier said than actually done.
(I hear these proposals and think of all the detailed arguments about how income taxes are invalid becuase Ohio incorrectly ratified the XXth Amendment, or somesuch. All very logical, but it doesn't work.)
The error in Tim's analogy between his income tax example standard privacy techniques is that the techniques have already passed the test of time. They aren't theoretical; people have used them for years. Tim's claim that "this is much easier said than actually done" only indicates that Tim either has never tried to do it, or did it poorly. I've seen it done--year in and year out. It's real, folks. Over the period I've been on this list, I've seen the optimism of various Cypherpunks wax and wane. Normally, I greatly respect Tim's opinions. Today, though, I think Tim is reflecting an emotional response more than a factual one. I, and I'm sure Duncan, would be more than happy to discuss the subject with anyone on the list who is interested. Let's do it offline, though, unless there is a strong crypto tie-in. S a n d y