I agree some government force could destroy bitcoin, but not a cartel (this cartel is never gonna exist) of companies, they will never arrive to the attack, as for the members of the cartel, it would pay NOT to subsidize. (isnt it the same as opec cartel members completely not following opec policy, but going for own gain, at the cost of the other opec-cartel members. As to say, the opec-cartel, does not exist...or better said, the opec intends to be a cartel, but never was and never will)

As you state its a slow process where the cartel gains power, with in the back of their heads the idea of being able to raise prices later when the cartel-strategy succeeds...
Also please note that amazon transactions are and will be quite a small part of the transactions. It would really have to be some kind of supercartel like never seen before in history (and theoretically unstable, so it will never exist as the cartel how it was intended).
Total world production is like 70 trillion, so then (if all pay bitcoin), some 25 trillion stable cartel would have to come up.
Also most transaction in bitcoin will still be the cup of coffee in the morning in the small cafee (ok...starbucks....)

This economical attack I really see it not happening. (if governments have to be involved, I would rather call it a political attack)
If a cartel cant exist, then how can it make the attack?

Quote from: AnonyMint on November 26, 2013, 10:47:21 AM

jajansen,

Why do you assume force and possibly government collusion won't be involved?

You can't win the debate by arguing that cartels have never existed.

You attempted to construct a strawman and say that if cartels don't use force or government collusion, they are unstable. And I agreed and said the cartel attack would thus destroy Bitcoin if the community creates an altcoin that is resistant to this attack, i.e. rendering the outcome unstable for the cartel in agreement with you. But that does not invalidate the attack (as it stands against Bitcoin and clones). And it would actually require the free market to create an altcoin that is not vulnerable to this attack.