At 7:25 AM -0500 10/22/98, Anonymous wrote:
Remember, the reason we have no financial privacy these days is because we have book-entry settlement, which relies on biometric identity, known physical location, and the force of a nation state as the ultimate "error-handler" to prevent repudiation in the transaction protocol. Yes, and cars break down because there are service shops. Utter nonsense. There is no financial privacy because because those who would like such thing have less power (hired guns) than those who would not like it. And those with controlling interests in modern societies do not like it because control would be lost, and population harvesting (aka taxing) would have to be radically changed, and that is expensive. The system is self-supporting.
Idea that somehow smart algorithms will bring financial privacy is a good starting point for cryptoaddict's wet dream, but in reality has the same chance of success as survival rate of armed citizens against the government. Zero.
Afghanistan The french Revolution The "Revolutionary War" Several Countries in Eastern Europe.
Use of government-controlled, issued and supervised payment methods/instruments is in place because it is proscribed, not because "money/checks, etc. exist".
^^^^^^^^^^ Prescribed. Proscribed means outlawed.
Therefore constructing computer-assisted anon payment schemes "because it is cheaper that way" is pointless. Money is not there to make your life easier. Money exists so that you can be taxed and conditioned to desired behaviour at minimal cost.
Money exists because it is easier to carry paper and coins than to carry chickens. Taxes can occur without money. -- "To sum up: The entire structure of antitrust statutes in this country is a jumble of economic irrationality and ignorance. It is a product: (a) of a gross misinterpretation of history, and (b) of rather naïve, and certainly unrealistic, economic theories." Alan Greenspan, "Anti-trust" http://www.ecosystems.net/mgering/antitrust.html Petro::E-Commerce Adminstrator::Playboy Ent. Inc.::petro@playboy.com