Ah gosh, Im so surprised when people think some people want Bitcoins because they are unregulated just because they want to do something illegal.

Let me tell you something, and I know anyone that traveled enough around the world knows this.

In the US, EU, and other countries, you go to a bank branch, with 0$ or 50$ and have your credit card and bank account ready to go. Yes, its all pre-filled.

This is absolutely NOT true in the rest of the world. In most places, minimum to open a bank account is anywhere between 3,000$ and 10,000$ fixed, which you need not only to open but maintain. And no credit cards there.

You see the problem? There is a huge population in this planet that is online and cannot access regular payment systems. This is the only TRUE benefit of bitcoins in terms of not being regulated or controlled. That anyone was able to get them. (was, since this is not true anymore, you can´t mine them anymore....)

You will not believe how many people want to buy something online but can´t, because PayPal is not in their country, or they have not CC or bank account, which of course PayPal requires as well.

You will not believe how many people want access to be able to pay, but can´t.

Bitcoin was a supposed to be a solution to them. Right now, its not anymore, as you need to buy them somewhere, and we are again in the same dilemma, buy them with some standard payment method.

Also, another huge benefit of Bitcoins was that merchants had a way safe to receive money without being scammed, this means chargebacks.

But there is no point for merchants if the consumers owning Bitcoins are null. And they are going to be null, if they cannot get them with their computers.

Now, I don´t care about government intervention, but do you fail to realize that then we don´t actually need Bitcoins at all? If I want something regulated, I will use the real thing like PayPal.

The only reasons I like Bitcoins, is because Bitcoin cannot shut you down. Like PayPal could if they decide this, right or wrong, its possible for the banking systems to shut down any websites payment systems right now. There are only 2 major credit card brands and PayPal is more or less a monopoly as well today.

Bitcoins is supposed to be in the hands of no specific company, so nobody is supposed to impose rules on you.