This is an opinion editorial by Mickey Koss, a West Point graduate with a degree in economics. He spent four years in the infantry before transitioning to the Finance Corps.
Whether it’s the Patriot Act, COVID-19 measures or the proposed RESTRICT Act, it seems that the only thing U.S. politicians can agree on is that taking away freedoms is essential. It’s for your own safety, you see. And we can’t forget about security, too. Who wouldn’t want to be safe and secure?
The unilateral agreement around these measures has made the phrase “bipartisan” a warning sign in my eyes and I am increasingly concerned about the direction we’re moving.
Bread, Circuses And Conflict
I was criticized on NOSTR recently for covering environmentalist Bitcoiners, the justification being that the environmentalist movement is a net negative for society. While I understand where this individual who criticized me is coming from, I think there are some deeper concerns at hand hidden behind their comments.
After some reflection, I came to a realization: People are not really concerned with the environmentalist movement. In fact, people are not really concerned about politics at all. Most political disagreements are surface-level proxy wars for a much deeper argument: the argument over control.
Who is going to have control? What are they going to use it for? How is this going to affect my life?
As governments expand at increasing rates, the fear over who has control grows along with it. I think this is the root of the polarization we’re seeing today. The real concern is about central planners and central planning. Everything else is a distraction. I think that’s the real psyop.
Bitcoin Defunds Central Planners
As more and more people adopt bitcoin as their savings vehicle, we can begin to grow the parallel economy and take the exorbitant privilege of money printing out of the hands of those who would seek to abuse it.
In doing so, we can slowly but surely defund the central planners that so many are fearful of. In doing so, we can reduce the level of control that keeps us up at night. In doing so, we can reduce the amount of political polarization that is seemingly tearing the country apart.
I think that too many are fighting the wrong fight and missing the forest for the trees. If Bitcoin is truly incorruptible, then why do you care who chooses to support it? Why not give everyone a chance to have their egos and preconceptions about the world absolutely shattered by this permissionless monetary protocol.
Bitcoin is for everyone. We can’t allow the culture wars to manipulate us into friendly fire. We can’t allow political narratives to co-opt Bitcoin into a weapon for politicians to wield against us. It doesn’t matter if you win your little skirmish if the war engulfs you shortly thereafter.
The faster we can gain adoption, the faster we can make all these petty arguments irrelevant. Once central planners lose their ability to control, your neighbors’ vote becomes less of a concern. Without the ability to print money, governments suddenly have to think about trade offs again. The reintroduction of a sound money standard fixes political polarization.
This is a guest post by Mickey Koss. Opinions expressed are entirely their own and do not necessarily reflect those of BTC Inc or Bitcoin Magazine.
