We need to put together a think tank to figure out where we go once the coins reach close to 21 million. Transaction fees will not work because large sites will form that have a huge bitcoin bank account, and money will be sent between users of the site instead of actual transactions on the bitcoin network. The only solution is to lift the 21 million cap. Remember, the 21 million cap is not set in stone. At the end of the day, the rules are set by miners. We have a handful of mining pools that collectively control over 50% of mining activity easily. Miners have the option to agree on a percentage rate of increase beyond 21 million. If the percent rate is too high, the confidence in the currency goes down and so does its value. If the rate is too low then miners are not paid enough to support the network.

These are just starting points of discussion but weshould get this out in the open sooner instead of later. The mining pools are going to be a powerful force in the monetary policy of the bitcoin network in the future.