The following is a letter I sent to Katie Britt, an Alabama Senatorial candidate looking to fill Senator Shelby's soon-to-be-vacated seat in the US Senate. I will be sending a similar letter to Senator Tuberville (Rep - AL) as well as my local representative and anyone else who might be running for political office in my jurisdiction. As mentioned in the letter, cryptocurrency will be one of the most important topics in the upcoming elections. Personally, it's the sole issue that I have a true vested interest in ensuring, so, whether Left or Right, if you're pro-Bitcoin you'll receive my vote. Feel free to use this letter as a template to send to your Representatives and state Senators.
Dear Mrs. Britt,
I live in Gulf Shores and saw your campaign ad on a local billboard and wanted to ask you a question. Firstly, I am a former Marine infantry officer and a veteran of the OIF campaign. My family roots stretch back to William Bradford, 1st governor of the Plymouth Colony. In fact, each one of my ancestors came to this continent before 1800, many settling first in Pennsylvania, later Tennessee, and finally Texas where I was born. My father's side participated in the Oklahoma Land Rush. They claimed land near present-day Tulsa; we were the first mum growers west of the Mississippi. We're certified veterans of every American war (to include the Texas Revolution), save the War of 1812 and Vietnam. My wife (a British and now American citizen) and I moved to Alabama in 2019 with our 8-year-old daughter and thoroughly enjoy the state and are looking to call it "home". However, that will not be possible if Alabama does not quickly recognize the innumerable benefits of the cryptocurrency industry, specifically bitcoin, and begin taking a national lead in this area, a pursuit that will bring untold benefit to its citizens, the state government, and the nation as a whole in the upcoming years. States such as Wyoming, Texas, and Florida are already leading the crypto revolution in terms of crafting a legal infrastructure to foster crypto growth and are therefore presently attracting crypto start-ups, bitcoin miners, and others who are diligently building the future of money and value. Indeed, in a few short years, the world we've come to know will look drastically different. If Alabama does not see the obvious "writing on the wall" which clearly shows us that the corrupt US petro-dollar world conglomerate with all its perverse incentives is doomed to fail, I fear this state will suffer the same fate as every other state and nation that does not provision for this inevitable future.
You might not be aware that Alabama, given our low cost of electricity and abundance of riverways that provide significant levels of hydroelectric power, produces the 7th highest amount of hash power among all 50 states (https://www.cnbc.com/2021/10/09/war-to-attract-bitcoin-miners-pits-texas-against-new-york-kentucky.html). Of note, Georgia, which has significantly fewer natural resources than Alabama, is ranked 3rd in the nation in terms of hash power. There is absolutely no reason that Alabama cannot attain Georgia’s hash rate in the near term. The entrepreneurism of Georgians is the sole reason they have attained an advantage thus far, and I’m confident the same entrepreneurism is within Alabamans, it simply needs to be incentivized and unleashed. We have the Tennessee River Valley after all, and the scientific wealth of Huntsville too, which gives us advantages that Georgia has not. Hash power, in short, is “electricity converted into [the] computing power” required to mine bitcoin. Mining is the process of creating and validating new bitcoin blocks every 10-minutes, a process that, among much else, secures the Bitcoin network against hacks and attacks and brings freshly minted bitcoin into existence. As an aside, most of the bitcoin mining in the US is powered by renewable technology (https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2021/07/14/bitcoin-is-already-incentivizing-renewable-energy/#:~:text=The%20economic%20incentives%20of%20bitcoin,peak%20demand%20or%20low%20supply.), primarily because, in order for bitcoin miners to be competitive in their race to mine blocks, they must chase the lowest cost of electricity available within a given jurisdiction. As stated, because of our extensive waterways and natural resources, not to mention our top-tier universities, Alabama can easily become a national leader in bitcoin mining and technology. However, we first need a clear legal framework to come from you, Sen Tuberville, and the Alabama state government to make this a reality. Most importantly, we need you to fight for prudent bitcoin regulation in the U. S. Senate.
Tragically, Alabama has been responsible for hampering the crypto industry in America. Our outgoing, near-centenarian Sen. Shelby blocked an important crypto amendment proposed by Senators Toomey and Lummis that sought to limit the scope of what constitutes the term cryptocurrency “broker” in the recent gazillion-dollar infrastructure bill because he wanted a $50 billion increase in defense spending attached to this amendment which was inevitably defeated (by Sen. Sanders [Dem-VT] no less) (https://yellowhammernews.com/shelby-under-fire-for-blocking-amendment-relating-to-cryptocurrency-protections-innovation/). A less favorable amendment to the Toomey-Lummis proposal was eventually accepted, and while it is questionable that the infrastructure bill will even pass in its current form, the PR damage has nevertheless been done to Sen. Shelby and, by extension, the state of Alabama, which the rest of the country already (unfortunately) views as backward and reactionary. Such a charge will be warranted if the state elects to legalize gambling (which I know is beyond your jurisdiction) in hopes that by incentivizing vice and debauchery, the state’s coffers will increase. If Alabama legalizes gambling in any form, whether first via the state lottery or otherwise, my family and thousands of other productive, upstanding Lower Alabama residents will eventually leave because of the crime, poverty, vice, and the rest of the untold ills that will doubtless arise amid our beautiful coast when the casinos start popping up - an outcome that will be likely realized when the door to vice is opened. This simply cannot happen. It would ruin the state’s reputation as being a pro-family, Christian, conservative, values-driven environment. Gambling is backward-looking. Crypto is forward-looking -- a pro-bitcoin legal framework will attract the right kind of people to this state, and it will help the U.S. to continue to lead the world in innovation and technology well into the future.
I’m sure you’re receiving loads of unsolicited advice from your potential constituency, but here’s another: my suggestion is to simply open your campaign donations to Bitcoin by saying, “I accept bitcoin.” Post it on Social Media and you’ll be amazed at the response. Mark my words, cryptocurrency will soon be the single-most-important political issue within the next four years. Bitcoin holders already represent one of the wealthiest and most powerful voting blocs in the country and this will only increase as we move forward. A year ago, it would have been unheard of that the “crypto lobby” would have held up a trillion-dollar bill for many days in congress, but here we are. El Salvador has recently granted it legal tender status: https://www.forbes.com/sites/theapothecary/2021/10/07/in-el-salvador-more-people-have-bitcoin-wallets-than-traditional-bank-accounts/?sh=6bbe553f20b5.
I personally lead a Bitcoin Meetup here in Baldwin County and would be honored to talk more about this with you as you continue your campaign. Additionally, if this letter resonates, I encourage you to reach out to Senator(s) Cynthia Lummis (Rep- WY), Pat Toomey (Rep- PA), Ron Wyden (Dem-OR), Krysten Sinema (Dem – AZ), and Ted Cruz (Rep-TX) as well as mayor Suarez of Miami, all of whom are emerging as senatorial and municipal leaders in bitcoin, blockchain, and cryptocurrency.
Knowing which way the political winds are blowing will be crucial for you, the state of Alabama, and this nation in the coming years. Please heed my words, for whatever it's worth to you now. If you announce “I accept Bitcoin” you’ll get my vote and many thousands of others. God bless your campaign and I’ll be praying for you and your family.
Respectfully,
NSV
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How do I get involved with the Baldwin county Bitcoin meetups I’m interested in learning about Bitcoin.
Thank You