Despite their reputation, some politicians have a soft spot for Bitcoin. New Hampshire republican candidate Andrew Hemingway took to the Reddit forums Wednesday, answering questions about his pro-Bitcoin positions.
Hemingway is no stranger to Bitcoin and Cointelegraph already reported on the candidate proposing that the blockchain could be used for voting among other things in the future. Hemingway believes Bitcoin regulations should go a direction opposite to BitLicense, the regulatory draft recently unveiled in New York. He wrote:
“The Bitlicense essentially regulates Bitcoin to death. NH will pass BitLiberty. A plan to incentivize innovation around BItcoin and Blockchain tech.”
Hemingway is a 32-year-old candidate running for the Governor of New Hampshire. Hemingway hosted his first “Ask Me Anything” (AMA) a few months ago. AMAs are reddit threads where anyone can ask the original posters, well, anything.
Bitcoin is not all that different from cash, he reasoned. If elected, he would do his best to allow Bitcoin room to breathe. Money regulations already in place “would be adequate to apply to Cryptos.” No one asks where your dollars came from, he added.
But Bitcoin has yet to shake its image of facilitating crime. When asked about all the scams associated with the digital currency, he responded, “Cash has been used for centuries to conduct cons, and buy drugs as well.”
In a website page for an ongoing donation drive, Hemingway expands on some of his pro-Bitcoin opinions:
“There’s no reason that New York has to be the world financial capital for Bitcoin. New Hampshire had more Bitcoin nodes in the early days than any other state and a state motto of ‘Live Free or Die.’ My Administration would look for ways to stimulate, not stifle, the growth of Bitcoin as an industry.”
He proposes some statewide measures, including: accepting Bitcoin for taxes statewide, leaving Bitcoin unregulated, and leveraging the blockchain to make government transparent and efficient.
- Andrew Hemingway
Innovation is a large piece of campaign. He started a handful of companies, including a New Hampshire-based startup that deployed the first iPhone App with training videos to for parents to learn about safety in sports. He also worked as a digital consultant for the U.S. House Policy Committee.
His campaign invented, and unrolled, the first ever “Bit Bomb,” or a campaign donation drive fueled purely by Bitcoin donations.
Hemingway’s pro-Bitcoin platform includes the following elements:
• Accepting Bitcoins as payment for taxes and fees statewide.
• No added regulation on Bitcoin or cryptocurrencies statewide.
• Pro-Bitcoin initiatives to encourage innovation, including uses of the blockchain to make government more efficient.
BitBomb603 (New Hampshire’s area code is 603) started on Thursday, Aug.14, 2014 at 6:03 p.m. EDT, and will finish 6 days and 3 minutes later on Wednesday, Aug. 20, at 6:06 p.m. Individual donors and corporations can each donate up to US$5,000 per cycle (US$10,000 if the donation includes both primary and general elections).
If Hemingway wins the election, he will not only be the youngest governor in New Hampshire history, but an ardent supporter of Bitcoin as well.
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