> I agree with the general point that we can't just ignore the regulators,
> but the argument here isn't quite correct. There are many Bitcoiners who
> want clarity and guidance on how to follow the law, but there are also some
> who want guidance on how to evade it. The second category was literally
> nonexistent in the speeches - the closest we got was Blueseed and
> deliberately structuring services to _legally_ be unsubpoenable. So there
> is a definite bias in the conference toward toeing the line.
>
>
Once again, I'm not denying that there are very many people that certainly
> should toe the line; just making a statement of fact.
>

It's the difference between Bitcoin Business and Legitimate Business. Both
can exist but if a Bitcoin Business gets big enough they run into a
legitimacy problem. Sure you don't have to pay your taxes, but it makes
it VERY difficult to operate as a "real" business of the type that can get
lines of credits, build facilities etc. without raising major questions.

So with that in mind, anyone who aspires to have the business be more than
a hobby MUST follow this path. This is the barrier to entry. The people
who want to know how to use Bitcoin to avoid regulatory apparatus *don't
matter* to the foundation because they do not aspire to be a productive
part of the eco-system the way the foundation defines it.

Even talking about evasion brings up questions of legitimacy. This is why
you find this type of discussions in an environment like CCC or DEFCON,


>
>> It would be funny if it weren't so sad and predictable. It's always
>> better to maintain unity (or at least the illusion of it) for as long as
>> possible, because once we fracture the lines that divide will become much
>> more tangible.
>>
>
> Won't happen. Disunity is simultaneously our strength and our greatest
> weakness. I see the divide staying around the same level that it is now,
> and eventually the pro-legal group will just be another part of the
> mainstream and the anti-legal group will continue its quest just as it has
> continued for the past 20 (10000?) years.
>

The issue is when it is emphasized. This *early* in the cycle and it says
to me we have a rough road ahead because ideological differences are
putting people in camps and hardening opinions. I do not expect Bitcoin to
be the protocol of choice in 18 months and while that creates a more robust
ecosystem overall, it means for semantical reasons we have enemies who
should otherwise be allies. We need to put aside the specifics and focus
on the big, we're watching the opportunity for that slip away.

>
>>
>> Adam B. Levine
>> Editor-in-Chief
>> Let's Talk Bitcoin! <http://www.letstalkbitcoin.com>
>> 1-855-WETALKBITCOIN Ex.700
>> [image: Inline image 2]
>> Talk to me on Gli.ph, my preferred communications platform
>>
>>
>> On Sun, Jun 30, 2013 at 9:56 AM, Vitalik Buterin <vbuterin@???>wrote:
>>
>>> The direction of the organization was pretty much obvious from the fact
>>> that 1/4 of the Bitcoin conference was the "Regulatory/Law" track. All the
>>> major Bitcoin organizations in the US are pretty much set on following that
>>> particular track - the only exception I know of being the Free State
>>> Project.
>>>
>>> On Sun, Jun 30, 2013 at 12:50 PM, Cody R Wilson <codywilson@???>wrote:
>>>
>>>> Thanks Adam, the articles are included there.
>>>>
>>>> I was looking for what type of 501(c) tax exemption they organized to
>>>> claim. Turns out its 501(c)(6), which is interesting indeed... These kinds
>>>> of business associations are often thought of as lobbying groups.
>>>>
>>>> For a while I had assumed the Foundation claimed 501(c)(3) tax
>>>> exemption as a nonprofit software developer with a specific charitable
>>>> purpose and charitable class. This alternative form of organization tells
>>>> me more than I had expected about the direction of the organization.
>>>>
>>>>
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