Jared Polis (D-CO)
The tongue-in-cheek letter was sent to Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet Yellen, Comptroller of Currency Thomas Curry, Acting CFTC Chairman Mark Wetjen, FDIC Chairman Martin Gruenberg, and SEC Chairwoman Mary Jo White.
The entire letter, which calls out printed currency for not being “carbon neutral” and other problems is well worth reading. Even the highlights, however, will bring a smile to most Bitcoiner faces.
I write today to express my concerns about United States dollar bills. The exchange of dollar bills, including high denomination bills, is currently unregulated and has allowed users to participate in illicit activity, while also being highly subject to forgery, theft, and loss. For the reasons outlined below, I urge regulators to take immediate and appropriate action to limit the use of dollar bills.
Much like Manchin’s letter, Polis ties the problems with the dollar to spurious sources:
Dollar bills have gained notoriety in relation to illegal transactions; suitcases full of dollars used for illegal transactions were recently featured in popular movies such as American Hustle and Dallas Buyers Club, as well as the gangster classic, Scarface, among others.
It goes on to note:
The very features of dollar bills, such as anonymous transactions, have created ubiquitous uses from drug purchases, to hit men, to prostitutes, as dollar bills are attractive to criminals who are able to disguise their actions from law enforcement. Due to the dollar bills’ anonymity, the dollar bill market has been extremely susceptible to forgers, tax fraud, criminal cartels, and armed robbers stealing millions of dollars from their legitimate owners. Anonymity, combined with a dollar bills’ ability to finalize transactions quickly, makes it very difficult, if not impossible, to reverse fraudulent transactions.
And then closes with a call for needlessly dramatic action:
The clear use of dollar bills for transacting in illegal goods, anonymous transactions, tax fraud, and services or speculative gambling make me wary of their use. Before the United States gets too far behind the curve on this important topic, I urge the regulators to work together, act quickly, and prohibit this dangerous currency from harming hard-working Americans.
Speaking with TechCrunch, the Representative’s spokesperson Scott Overland confirmed that the letter was a work of satire, and “”meant to draw attention to the fact that BitCoins are not any more susceptible to the problems that the Senator points out than dollars.”
