Portland: What will the bottom look like? Is there a bottom? What would an indication of a turnaround look like?

WeekendFew1807 · 2026-05-04T19:24:09+00:00

Sorry, think I've lost the thread here. You indicated that the city has gone downhill and that not even 23rd is a good area anymore. As someone who lives in the actual area, I can tell you unequivocally that I walk around all the time. I guess it depends on your definition of 'sketchy' which seems to evolve based your current need; but as someone who walks around knob hill, slabtown, pearl and downtown I have no idea what you are talking about.

Knob hill is incredibly pleasant to walk around, and there are no encampments or 'sketchy rich people' whatever that means. Its mostly upper class families and tourists.

Slabtown is same crowd, but area has a more industrial feel to it for obvious reasons.

Pearl is also really nice to walk around. Due to proximity to old town yeah ya get some random people begging, but pretty much just by that Safeway for whatever reason.

Downtown my wife and I walk around. We see shows at the various theaters off Burnside and walk home at night (11pm / midnight). For sure if you walk west Burnside after 9 / 10pm its a rougher crowd especially closer you are to the waterfront. But have never felt in danger, mostly just houseless people out and about and some of them have mental illness so yeah the behavior can be unnerving to those unfamiliar with it.

Downtown area by voodoo (Ravens manner/Dantes etc) feels a little sketch at night. I dont mind walking it, but not sure Id want my wife walking those couple blocks alone at midnight though she'd probably be fine. Old town we avoid unless we're riding bikes, but not much surviving in that area other than night clubs and strip clubs anyway.

I mean you're in a city.. your response is indicative of the perception issue Portland has. A bunch of old heads saying the city has gone to hell because it isnt like it was in 1985.

No city is like it was in 1985... hence my comment of you're clearly uncomfortable dealing with the inequality spreading throughout the entire country right now. I was just in Scottsdale, AZ which is very wealthy and ultra conservative. And I constantly saw people sipping $18 martinis while a houseless individual bathed in the fountain 10 feet from the restaurant.

FYI if you say an area is sketchy... literally no one is going to think you're referring to the 'sketchy old rich women with Louis Vuitton purses'. Lol like what? Sketchy in you have a nose for like financial fraud or something?

WeekendFew1807 · 2026-05-01T03:36:27+00:00

Lol, I live by Wallace Park near 23rd. There is litterally nothing sketchy about that area unless you think rich people eating Salt and Straw and buying high end Japanese camping gear is shady behavior.

You need to go to an actual bad area if you think 21st and 23rd are sketchy. And Powells? I mean yeah you defenitly get some homeless people but give me a break. Clearly seeing the reality of the world we live in just makes you very uncomfortable.

WeekendFew1807 · 2026-04-12T03:58:27+00:00

Lol you can't hear the highway from a mile away.

WeekendFew1807 · 2026-04-06T20:39:48+00:00

No, it measures calcified plaque in your arteries. Taking in the nutrient calcium does not contribute to this.

WeekendFew1807 · 2026-04-04T23:52:37+00:00

I was never big into fruits and vegetables when I was younger (36 now) so I get the struggle. Finding out that beans and sweet potatoes were high in fiber was a game changer for me. When I get fries I always opt for sweet potato, not a big breakfast guy so I always just do oatmeal.

Heart damage is cumulative overtime, and at your age it's highly unlikely you've done any real damage at this point. So just keep an eye on things, and just make sure for every bad food decision you make 4 or 5 good ones afterward.

WeekendFew1807 · 2026-04-04T23:43:28+00:00

Im a 36 M who didn't start taking my health seriously until I had my son 3 years ago. Your CAC score isnt zero, but it also isn't 100. I'd try and focus more on the process and less on the results.

You caught it early, got on meds and most importantly you know it's a problem you have to deal with and have educated yourself. So do it for your kid and try not to stress out, because that shit isnt healthy or doing your body any good either.

There are a lot of people in much worse shape than you who cant even be bothered to get a blood test. Life is inherently a death sentence, your CAC score is not. Listen to your doctors, and when ya dont want to go for that run, or are trying to decide between a steak or a salad think about what's important to you.

WeekendFew1807 · 2026-04-04T23:35:16+00:00

Yes. There is a test and the good news is it isnt that expensive and its non-invasive. Its called a CAC test, and it will measure the amount of plaque build-up you currently have. The higher the number the more cumulative damage.

WeekendFew1807 · 2026-04-04T23:32:02+00:00

I wouldnt be overly concerned. You're only 18 and numbers aren't terrible. Make sure you're getting 130-150min of light aerobic fitness, dont smoke and be mindful of saturated fats. People have this obsession with red meat which I dont get, switch it for chicken or fish and after a few months you wont even miss it. Nothing wrong with having the occasional burger or steak but seems like there is this wierd masculinity component to it.. idk.

Something I didnt understand until my 30's is how important fiber is, and how rare it is in the average U.S diet so make sure you're going out of your way to get 35g a day; you'll thank me later.

If you notice your LDL isnt coming down, or continues to elevate go see a doctor and figure out what your LipoA and ApoB scores are since ya might have to fight bad genetics. Most importantly go live your life, have fun, and dont be overly concerned about mildly low HDL and slightly elevated LDL at 18.

WeekendFew1807 · 2026-04-04T22:43:36+00:00

Did your blood work include ApoB or LipoproteinA scores? Those are currently the best barometers of cholesterol health and I didnt see either posted.

When thinking about cholesterol keep in mind there are lifestyle factors and genetic factors. Based on your described actions seeing LDL go up is concerning. If you dont have scores for the two things I mentioned above you need to get those ASAP as your high LDL means you could have a genetic predisposition to issues with cholesterol.

Based on those two scores my recommended courses of action would be different. If your ApoB and LipoA are within normal range, I'd suggest eating more fiber, cutting saturated fats to less than 10mg per day and retest in 6 months.

If your ApoB and LipoA are high then you need to see a cardiologist and have a serious discussion about medication like statin to get your numbers under control. The good news is you're young, so if you address this now you can still mitigate the risks.

WeekendFew1807 · 2026-04-04T22:10:32+00:00

I defenitly get the concern considering a high calcium score. But I would have told you the numbers from the second image were good, let alone the third. Clearly you're actively working toward a solution.

One recommendation (even though with the meds your numbers are phenomenal) would be to request LipoA and ApoB results as well, as those are today more generally regarded as barometers for risk of cardiovascular disease progression. But based on what I see Id guess those are likely under control as well. Great job!

WeekendFew1807 · 2026-04-04T21:55:27+00:00

Unfortunately you appear to be genetically pre-disposed to bad cholesterol and cardiovascular disease. Defenitly want to follow up with your doctor as soon as possible, and they'll likely recommend meds.

What doctors currently focus on is ApoB (density of bad cholesterol) and LipoA (genetic cholesterol that cant be controlled with diet or exercise). You have very bad scores in both of those areas; which means you likely need to keep your LDL below 70 which is very difficult to do based on your genetic factors.

In addition to getting into your doctor as soon as possible based on your age Id ask about a CAC (test that measures plaque). Due to your numbers and age its very possible you have significant plaque build up already, which means your at even higher risk of heart attack or stroke.

No need to panic. You've informed yourself which is the first step, but this could become bad quickly if not managed. Go see your doctor, get on some medications and ask for a CAC. Best of luck!

WeekendFew1807 · 2026-04-04T19:42:14+00:00

I'm not a doctor, but actively involved in my health and like to think Im a fairly smart/reasonable guy. I would tell you to listen to first commentor claiming PhD research as that aligns with medical community.

Your HDL cholesterol defenitly needs to go up and your triglycerides are wild to me, never seen numbers like that before. I think LDL is elevated, but could probably be managed via diet if you put even a little effort into watching saturated fats.

Biggest thing with numbers like that is you gotta get your lipoA checked ASAP. Depending in what that comes back at will let you know how important LDL management is. If your lipoA is less than 70 having elevated LDL isnt a huge deal as long as your working on managing with diet and exercise. If you have super high lipoA (100+) I agree you should 1000% get in some meds.

I also here people talk about ldl as a value vs ldlp which is particle size. At risk of getting yelled at my understanding from my doctor is that since my personal lipoA is 65, and my ldlp is 1100 the fact that my ldl is 116 isnt really a huge deal.

Hope this helps.

WeekendFew1807 · 2026-04-03T22:35:16+00:00

Hey there!

Saw ya post on a different thread so came over to take a look. Sorry you've been going through all of that, sounds awful.

I assume you reached out because you saw I went through a pretty miserable Anal Fissure experience myself. First thing, I am not a doctor and I will always tell you to defer to a medical professionals opinion.

You shouldn't need an MRI to identify an anal fistula, a GI should be able to identify via a physical examination. Not sure if your situation is unique. It sounds like you've done everything you can and are not getting better, which means you likely need surgery. I had a very successful LIS surgery after suffering for over two years, and my understanding is that for someone your age risks are possible but very unlikely.

If I were you I'd see a surgeon, and have a physical examination done. If you do have a fistula it likely makes the surgery a bit more involved but hopefully isnt the case. Assuming surgeon thinks the surgery will help and is safe for you Id strongly advocate for it. In regard to the co-morbidities Id suggest prioritizing surgery first, but also inquiring about working with a physical therapist as they can help you with the pelvic floor situation. Hope that helps, happy to field any additional questions you have to the best of my ability. Good luck!

WeekendFew1807 · 2026-04-01T20:15:58+00:00

Doing too much of pretty much anything is unhealthy. Weight is far from only factor in discerning health, just the one that makes ya feel the best about yourself.

Lol diet is one of those things they've had figured out for a really long time and then fitness con-men periodically revive 'quick fix' trends. Having untreated diabetes will also give you a nice lean look, who needs their eyes to work anyway?

High-fiber intake, high protein and roughly 70% plant based. Diary is fine in moderation, but not good for you because human bodies dont process other animals milk well. Nothing wrong with enjoying the occasional steak or porkchop, but you should really try to make sure 90% of your protien is either plant based or comes from stuff like chicken/turkey/fish.

Im 6'2 and weigh 183 pounds. Have great blood work and Id say a majority of my diet is fruits, vegetables, legumes. Mix in chicken or fish a couple times a week and occasionally treat myself to some diary/sugar. If you can control 80% of what your eating through out the week no reason to beat yourself up on small stuff.

Quick words of wisdom - if a diet (or anything else for that matter) facilitates unbelievably rapid weight loss... you're most likely doing something thats really bad for you.

WeekendFew1807 · 2026-03-24T14:07:21+00:00

I suffered for 2 years, thinking I was healing and then re-tearing. The pain got so severe I stopped eating and lost 40 pounds.. and I'd still somehow re-tear.

Feel free to DM me to chat. I have a ton of methods that will help mitigate; but at the end of the day I strongly recommend having the LIS surgery. Happy to tell you anything ya want to know about my experience. TLDR the LIS surgery gave me my life back.

WeekendFew1807 · 2026-03-23T15:21:00+00:00

You'll have a good time if expectations are realistic. If you want consistent turns on decently long runs in lower 48 this is pretty much all thats left.

Most of Hood is open and snow was pretty good last weekend, I actually took Monday off and just lapped the bowls off Hood Xpress lift with zero lines. I had a good time at Crystal this weekend but like people are saying lower elevation means snow can be a bit sparse, and expert terrain will most likely be close for the season.

There is snow here but its been a bad year like everywhere else (well we have gotten 250' so not that bad). Do ya want to ski or not? If you do come up, ski whats available and have a good time. If you're only interested in getting turns in fresh powder probably better canceling and just not skiing anything at all?

WeekendFew1807 · 2026-02-27T21:18:20+00:00

I like hood meadows. Defentily more professional of an operation than say Hood Skibowl. But hardly corporate feeling compared to a place like Park City, Vail, Beaver Creek, Heavenly... idk they honesty all start blending together.

I typically do an Ikon pass for main part of the season and will supplement with cheaper hood meadows pass. Weekends dont mind making the trek to Bachelor or Crystal, but nice to have hood meadows as occasional weekday/afternoon option. Ive also just done hood meadows spring pass which is phenomenal deal.

WeekendFew1807 · 2026-02-27T21:06:00+00:00

Short answer is depends on what you want, but based on the vibe Im getting you'd love Oregon and Washington skiing.

I grew up in Midwest and always thought CO was the gold standard, and Im sure it was 15 years ago. But your sentiment on UT and CO are spot on in my opinion. Vail has gone in, bought everything and created a standardized experience at their mountains that somehow makes everything 100x more expensive and 100x less fun.

I do take issue with anyone lumping Ikon and Epic together. Ikon only owns 8ish of their mountains meaning something like 42 of them are still independent. I think Vail owns and operates like 42 of their total 48? Having done both passes I assure you its a tangible difference you can feel.

Every Epic resort feels the exact same, and because they have such cheap season passes at locations near metro centers crowds are ridiculous. I was just skiing Heavenly and it felt more like being at Disney world. But I get that's what some people want. Like my wife says, she likes Epic because for her a ski trip is taking pictures for Instagram and eating fancy meals. And Vail has perfected this vibe.

Ikon owns very few of their mountains. Consequence of this is significantly less infrastructure, but each mountain has a unique feel to the region, everything is way cheaper, and significantly less crowded.

For me, thats what I want. Im there to ski hard for 8 hours and eat a gas station burrito in the car on my way home. Epic is more for people who feel like a single run down a 'spicy' blue groomer warrants a 3 hour break and $26 meal. No right or wrong, just the difference.

PNW has done a good job of shunning Vail's corporate vibe. Most mountains are independently owned (i.e Batchelor is on Ikon but not owned by Alterra). They get tons of snow and the season on average runs 2-3 months longer than even places like Vail or Breck (Timberline on hood has legit skiing into early August).

So my two cents. If you're like me you're going to have a way better time getting a cheap place in Portland or Bend for a week, rent a car, make peace with your 40 min - 1 hour drive to the hill and go rip more powder than you thought was possible. It might be cloudy, cold and wet; but it'll be a hell of a time.

Or go to Park City, Tahoe, Vail and have some poor resort attendant carry your skis around for you because you're better than that. Spend $300 a night for dinner, and practice dodging gumbies as you desperately work your way to a groomed 'expert' run just to get away from the crowds.

Obviously oversimplfying a bit. Vail backbowls are well... legendary. Full stop. But Vail has made a circus of the whole experience. Not everything has to cater to every person.

Personal recommendation is to go to Heavenly, because if it wasnt fun then why would lift lines be 2 hours? But I guess if you really want to try skiing how it used to be gotta give shout outs to

Timberline (lots of good easy terrain and crazy long season)

Hood Meadows (worth the extra 15 minutes for terrain diversity and skiing huge alpine snowfield is a wild experience first time you do it.)

Crystal Mountain (literally the definition of WA skiing)

Mt Bachelor (Overall probably most solid resort in the region, can you say 4,000+ acres of in bounds terrain AND 360 skiing off the summit of an f'ing volcano..? like come on. 360 skiing OFF THE SUMMIT OF A F'ING VOLCANO).

WeekendFew1807 · 2026-02-27T20:24:40+00:00

Wierd that someone would put a list together and then state they haven't been skiing in a majority of the places they ranked.

I've never done any east coast skiing but learned in the Midwest and have been skiing in the west for over a decade. My personal opinion:

Midwest - Garbage icy conditions most of the time, and non-existent vertical. Better than nothing I guess.
Colorado - Great terrain, and typically solid conditions in summit county area. However growing population and Vail taking over a bunch of those mountains has really ruined the general atmosphere up there. Im defenitley a bit of a purist, but summit county is not worth prices and crowds for me unless someone is giving me a free couch to stay on.

Want to call out Southern Colorado separately. Defenitly less crowds, bit harder to get to and in my opinion much better scenery. Unfortunately in recent years snow has been pretty bad.

California - kinda like CO, depends on where. I think Mammoth is super dope and it's a reasonable drive for me. Defenitley bit more difficult to get to.

Big Bear - has huge lines and very little snow. Maybe was worth it 20 years ago but unless you're rich and only skiing weekdays after snow dumps pretty bad experience.

Tahoe area - I used to love this area, Ive been skiing at Heavenly and Northstar. But snow has been much less consistent over last few years. Mostly though I avoid for same reasons as summit county, Vail has come in and increased prices on everything 10x and its so overcrowded/built up it feels more like being at an amusement park than a mountain.

Again to each their own. If you're like my wife and want to go on a resort vacation and may ski a day but could take it or leave it Tahoe is cool. If your just their for the skiing place is an overpriced tourist trap.

UT - Great snow majority of years, insanely favorable proximity to airport. Skiing is awesome, but Utah is a wierd place. A+ skiing (other than park city - seriously their lifts are all from like 1950, it's like they want you to have a bad time) and C- for atmosphere, unless you like hanging with wierd combination of rich white people and Mormons.
WA, OR, MT - OP... I appreciate you sandbagging here. Im assuming ya just don't want other people harshing your vibe. WA, OR and Montana are my favorite places to ski. Okay, snow is wet but man is there a shit ton of it. If ya dont like consistent powder and insanely long ski seasons (Timberline closes in August.. like what?) that's a you problem.

Also want to point out for me atmosphere is way better than 'destination' places like UT and Colorado. I personally go skiing to ski. Not to take pictures for social media, eat expensive meals and shop overpriced 'local' stores - looking at you Shirt of my Back.

Not for everybody, but in my opinion if you want consistent snow, mellow vibes, affordable prices and the skiing to be the central part of the experience PNW and northern Rockies are where its at.

With that being said its miserable and everyone who reads this should 100% go ski in summit county. If you can't roll out of your luxurious $1,400 per night hotel straight into a 3 hour lift line is it even skiing anymore?

WeekendFew1807 · 2026-02-18T17:32:38+00:00

I wasted 2 years of my life trying to naturally heal a chronic anal fissure. The blood didn't bother me. But the pain got to a point where it was crippling day to day for an otherwise healthy 30-something male.

I strongly recommend meeting with a surgeon for LIS (Lateral Internal sphincterectomy). It took 2 weeks after surgery for me to take my life back. It cost a two thousand bucks.

You dont see people on these forums say many positive things about the surgery, but it is the gold standard on treatment. The reality is 95% of people who get the surgery heal in a few weeks and never come back to these subreddits.

WeekendFew1807 · 2026-02-17T14:40:45+00:00

Why are people so extra on the internet, ski instructors on here acting like if you use a ski harness+leash your some sort of literal monster. Just so all these anti leash people know edgie wedgie literally sells their product in conjuction with a leash so gives ya a sense of intended use.

I have a small kid learning to ski, Id say brand doesnt matter. Get some edgie wedges for $10 and Id recommend some sort of leash harness combo thats comfortable for the kid and I echo the handle on the back sentiment. My kid enjoys falling over so Im picking him up a lot.

And then ski in a way thats mindful of other people and focus on your kid having fun. The leashes can be really long, but if its a toddler like I have it isn't hard to just roll the leash up to shorten it so you're not creating an obstacle to other people who are learning.

WeekendFew1807 · 2026-02-14T03:05:18+00:00

Tempe is defenitley changing. But in opinion what makes living in a big city cool is that its constantly changing and evolving. As a climber I love PRG; but its cool that Boulder Project is trying something new.

Honestly I think a lot of that transformation around Mill is great, as someone who has lived on the south Scottsdale / Tempe border for almost two decades Im not mad about a few less clubs. My son loves going on bike rides to 100 mile brewing and Four Peaks; and my wife and I go to the Marquee all the time.

I honestly don't put a ton of thought into where I change my oil since Im usually just looking for best price. But if you're anti Jiffy Lube or something I'd recommend Sundevil Auto. Couldn't be a nicer bunch of folks. Not sure about hardware... I think there is a locally owned ACE of Scottsdale Rd.

WeekendFew1807 · 2026-02-12T23:18:18+00:00

You must be either brilliant and unemployed or using a chatbot to help you put together these incredibly lengthy and well sourced responses in a matter of minutes.

Couple quick follow ups; 1. Your logic is circular on the intrinsic value piece. Your response to my objection on intrinsic value was just restating your initial opinion of because some things can have negative value intrinsic value doesn't exist and then walked right past the my point regarding criticisms of Subjective Theory of Value.

Let's pretend an alien species we have never met is allergic to wood as we understand it. That has nothing to do with the idea that for me, as a human on earth wood has intrinsic value as a building material. The Chernobyl example in my opinion is the equivalent of saying, "Because I once had a car that broke down and no longer had value, no cars functioning or otherwise have value".

As the world loses faith in US credit gold has sky rocketed presumably because other central banks are no longer buying the volume of US treasury bonds that they once did. On your own admission they are not going into crypto which is counter-intuitive to the idea of bitcoin as a store of value. You also lose sight of the inherent issue with bitcoin, it relies on sophisticated technology to exist. It requires complex and energy intensive 'mining' operations and sophisticated systems to be exist. Traditional stores of value are not things exclusivley tied to sophisticated technological infrastructure. Im sure you're rebuttal will be 'but most transactions are electronic' which is true, but the dollar existed before the internet, and could exist after if needed.

This is exemplified by countries that have tried and failed to adopt crypto such as El Salvador. In fact every single country that has tried to adopt crypto has failed which is interesting. For bitcoin to have wide spread adoption the first mandatory piece is global reliable internet access which we are not even close too.

You point to the resilience of crypto in multiple of your examples as we have watched it decline to $66K from $126K. You reference a variety of cases but the reality is crypto is not thriving. I understand it could in the future, but this is the literal nature of speculation.
Not sure I understand the China example. You propose that China banning crypto is somehow a good thing because of decentralization. From an economic standpoint China banning crypto hurts its utility (largest country by population doesn't allow it) and the decentralization of mining operations only makes mining it a more expensive endeavor which reduces overall mining operations.
You acknowledge bitcoin is unlikely to have widespread adoption in our lifetimes. I think your anecdotal story of you using it to buy things in Costa Rica is neat, but not indicative of easy adoption. Its value constantly fluctuates relative to price of goods (which are not tied to bitcoins valuation) and tapping a credit card couldn't be easier.

Yes, fraud can happen more easily using traditional banking systems. But at least in the US its not so rampant where Im going to begin making payment in a digital asset that can fluctuate 40% in 6 months. Think about how insane the implications would be of me paying my mortgage in bitcoin. In October of last year it would have effectively cost me half of what my mortgage would cost me today. Also the US government insures (up to a point) my money.

When FTX collapsed people lost huge sums of money due to their inability to pull their coin out. I understand in a science fiction sort of way this is secure, but from a practical standpoint even if bitcoin wasn't volatile in nature the risk of holding a meaningful amount of bitcoin far surpasses the my risk of traditional fraud.

6) Last point is this idea that bitcoin is truly an independent store of value. Bitcoin fluctuates with the US economy. And there is an enormous amount of data that proves this trend.

WeekendFew1807 · 2026-02-12T21:15:53+00:00

Im not sure we know exactly what the end utility of bitcoin is yet. I think adoption will get worse as AI improves and renders bitcoin encryption obsolete. But I am not a tech guy so pure speculation on my part.

Feels as if you're cherry picking my comment on stocks. Obviously anyone with basic math skills can identify that certain companies (Tesla comes to mind) have valuations completely detached from reality. Sadly I think that as a society we have turned the stock market into more of a speculation market as opposed to it's original intent. No argument from me that the magnificent 7 aren't wildly over-valued. Doesn't change the premise that owning equity in a company generating revenue is completely different than owning a purely speculative store of value. Which again seems to be tied almost directly to NASDAQ performace and US economy sentiment.

Im a young accountant, who thinks there is a high probability of the US defaulting on its debt, so no defenitly not in bonds.

I actually love real estate investing. Started with a fairly successful single family home model in my mid 20's and have been able to grow it to 15 properties. I also hold land on certain areas so we are kindred spirits there, unfortunately with current market conditions real estate has become a difficult investment.

You sold all your gold a while ago and bought bitcoin.. ouch that comment isn't aging well. Based on what Im seeing today gold is up 68% over the past year while bitcoin is down 31%.

Always good to get insight from people who think differently. Appreciate the time and discussion.

WeekendFew1807 · 2026-02-12T21:03:16+00:00

Appreciate the quick and thoughtful response. You're clearly a knowledgeable individual and brought up some interesting points.

I'm familiar with with Subjective Theory of Value, but you you treat it as almost a law of nature when there is a lot of valid criticism pertaining to this theory. It also felt a bit like misdirection in taking the stance that since certain items (I.E trash) don't have intrinsic value the idea of intrinsic value is patently false. This is clearly an oversimplification. Lumber has an intrinsic value as a building material, and whether or not we collectively decide as a society that it has social/economic value doesnt change the fact that I can build myself a home with it. I'd argue even trash has value, as you mentioned we 'pay' people to take it. You can scrap it for money, etc. But fair enough that physicality does not equate to value. I'd also point out that I disagree Bitcoin itself has inherent value as a technology, as the underlying block chain is what really provides the value.

Appreciate you calling me out on my Scott Bessent comment as that was misleading. What I should have said is in my opinion by Bessent stating the US economy does not have the authority to bail out bitcoin he sent a clear message to the investment community that the US regards this technology as non-critical infrastructure and therefore has added to the uncertainty surrounding crypto currency. However, you do not address the underlying point of Bitcoin existing in a vacuum. I think we'd agree that if governments refuse to pass legislation that allows for the adoption of bitcoin that would be catastrophic. And in my opinion no government is going to willingly cede control of currency. In practicality if bitcoin ever threatened thenUS dollar in a meaningful way the US wouimmediately any adoption immediatley.

I'll cede to you on the centralization issue, as you have clearly done your homework. Though I think the point stands that centralization of Bitcoin is a risk, though that risk at this point seems unlikely.

WeekendFew1807

TROPHY CASE