Source: The International Forecaster, by James Corbett

We all know the old dictum: “If you can’t beat them, join them!” Well, governments have their own version: “If you can’t beat them, use your jackbooted thugs to go out and steal their idea and outlaw all competition.”

Case in point: bitcoin. As I pointed out in my Tech Trends for 2017 editorial, bitcoin regulation is going to be one of the dominant themes of the year. Indeed, that prediction has (unfortunately) already come true, with the EU Council proposing the registration of all bitcoin users under the guise of “anti-terrorism” legislation and the IRS’ legal pursuit of information on all Coinbase users continuing to play out in the courts.

But just check the newswire on any given day and you’ll see any number of government regulators looking to get their regulatory mitts on the cryptocurrency:

Japan’s new regulation regime for…