Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the presidential candidate, delivered a keynote speech at the Bitcoin 2023 Conference in Miami yesterday.
Via Decrypt
Kennedy began his keynote by explaining how he came to be interested in Bitcoin. He said that Canada’s decision, which froze the bank accounts of truckers protesting COVID-19 regulations and retaliated against them for their actions, was what made him understand the value of Bitcoin.
Kennedy stated, “When I saw this cataclysm – this devastating use of government repression – I realized for the very first time that free money was as important as freedom of expression.”
“Bitcoin acts as a barrier against this type of corporate and government expansion and intrusion.” “As president, I’ll make sure your right to own and use Bitcoin remains inviolable”, RFK Jr. promised.
He outlined the policy ideas he would implement to this end: “First I will defend self-custody rights of Bitcoin and other assets. Second, I’ll defend the right to operate a node from home. Thirdly, I will support a regulation of energy that is neutral in terms of its use and industry. Fourth, I’ll make sure the United States is the global center for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. I will reverse the government’s increasing hostility towards this industry.”
Anyone who has tried to buy Bitcoin or any other cryptocurrency on one of the main trading platforms will know that the government requires these platforms to collect a draconian amount of information about traders in order to track them. To gain access to the services, you are usually required to provide your full name, and your social security number, and upload documents like your passport or driver’s license.
Many platforms also operate on a “custodial model”, meaning they keep the public and private keys of the user. They can, therefore, control the wallet at will and stop access whenever they, or more likely, the government, please.
As the saying goes in crypto circles, “Not your keys, Not your crypto.”
This guy understands the dangers of fiat currencies issued by central banks in the present, and even more so the digital currency that will be issued by totalitarian central banks in the future.
Decentralized public-ledger currencies like Bitcoin, are designed to be beyond the reach and control of governments. Digital currencies issued by central banks, however, are highly susceptible to social engineering.
No politician, on either side of partisanship, has ever mentioned the freedom-enhancing advantages of cryptocurrency. Much less demonstrated such a thorough understanding of how they can be such powerful tools to counter central bank hegemony.
