Isn’t the WHOLE POINT that it is not regulated???
When the control freaks see something the first thing they think of is regulate. It’s for the children don’t you know.
I'm not sure exactly what the point of it is really. I understand that currently there's a speculative aspect to it, but other than that, I don't really see the point.
If one happens to make a real financial gain from selling/bartering bitcoins, they're already taxable just like any other gain in this country. If you give me a big mansion then I'm just as liable to the IRS as if you had given me the cold cash instead. Same thing would of course apply to bitcoins.
Personally, I prefer to accumulate my wealth in things like real estate, gold, fine art etc. If the economy croaks, I can at least generate rents from the property (or perhaps services/labor in lieu of rents if need be). Gold has value in that it has always been viewed as desirable due to it's beauty when made into jewelry and the like, and after some huge world disaster it stands a good chance of retaining some value.
I view bitcoins as a fad, a gimmick. Sure, some will cash in with them (probably the early acquirers who are now trying to talk them up in order to raise their value so they can now cash in while they still can).
I can't think of one valid reason for me to convert any sum of my hard earned cash into bitcoins. I don't care how many retailers start accepting them... they still accept my cash.