Subject: Re: [Bitcoin-development] Coinbase reallocation to discourage Finney attacks

From: Justus Ranvier <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2014 19:29:33 +0000

On 04/29/2014 02:13 PM, Mike Hearn wrote:
> I do think we need to move beyond this idea of Bitcoin being some
> kind of elegant embodiment of natural mathematical law. It just
> ain't so.
> 

I think everybody understands that Bitcoin has a positive net present
value exactly because it, unlike every other digital currency which
came before, does not include a feature that allows for balances to be
confiscated. Implementing any such feature, to any degree at all,
would render Bitcoin completely valueless.

There are two possibilities here:

If you understand this, then your proposal is a malicious attempt to
undermine Bitcoin.

If you don't understand this then you suffer from a very serious case
of economic illiteracy, a case so bad that your continued
participation in Bitcoin represents a clear and present danger to all
Bitcoin users. If you can't even get the easy questions right, then
god help us all if you're ever faced with a difficult one.

I don't have enough evidence to distinguish between the incompetence
hypothesis and the malice hypothesis, but it doesn't matter.
Regardless of your abilities or motives your proposal is unacceptable.
If you want a currency where miners can vote to steal from other
miners then implement it in Hearncoin and leave Bitcoin alone.

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