I am a First Amendment attorney. I am a crypto lawyer. Here is why they go hand in hand: The IRS wants you to declare all crypto you "received, sold, sent, exchanged, or otherwise acquired." IMO this is way too broad and should be challenged. Thread: https://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyphillipserb/2020/08/20/irs-releases-draft-form-1040-heres-whats-new-for-2020/#968bb363356e

If you get paid in crypto, you must declare it as wages. If you realized gains from a crypto investment, you must declare it as a cap gain. But Constitutionally, the gov shoud not know whether you purchased, received, or acquired crypto because crypto is not just money...

Public chains like Bitcoin requires a native currency (btc) to access its network. BTC is sound money, but also much more. I talk about this in this article and on the last episode of the Noded podcast with @pierre_rochard and @bitstein https://repository.law.miami.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4591&context=umlr.

BTC can be used to publish immutable messages free from government censorship. Lightning (as done with @hodlnaut's trust chain) connects us in ways not otherwise possible. You can authenticate docs with BTC or hodl to associate with a movement against fed corruption and weak $.

You can also hold BTC bc you want to support the ecosystem and the increasing number of projects only possible with decentralized networks. @Microsoft is using Bitcoin's chain for ID management. You could want BTC as a way of supporting the network or accessing its growth.

Even if you think BTC is the only true coin, the fact is other projects utilize other chains that need a coin to operate. IRS asking US residents to declare all crypto is as inappropriate as asking citizens to declare all email addresses, social media handles, or data plans.

For years I've stressed the need to consider a broader view of crypto that focuses on the expressive and associational aspects of decentralized networks rather than the price. BTC is great money, but Bitcoin is more than that. If we want the gov to recognize this we need to first

I should note that the updated IRS form doesn’t ask you to list your crypto holdings (yet), but to declare if you received or sold crypto within the year no matter the reason. This information is beyond the purview of information the IRS needs to do its job.

Also I should add that you should be following me for more hot takes.