The Libertarian Party of Wake County brings Bitcoin understanding to a diverse audience with guest speaker and Bitcoin expert Jayton Gill.

Tech journals and mainstream news alike splash eye-popping bitcoin headlines with startling regularity. “Bitcoin soars to new highs” headlines alternate with “Bitcoin crash loses millions.” But one thing is certain, the Bitcoin experiment, its alternatives, and its underlying technology represent the potential to change the nature of economic exchange in fundamental ways—with big advantages but also risks.

The Libertarian Party of Wake County, recognizing the increasing importance of cryptocurrencies and the need to spread their understanding in the broader community, hosted a presentation and open forum lead by Bitcoin and blockchain expert Jayton Gill. As the audience crowded into the presentation space, tech geeks mixed with soccer moms and high school students mingled with octogenarians.

Mr. Gill, deftly tailoring his presentation to his audience, opened with Nobel Memorial Prize-winning libertarian political theorist F. A. Hayek’s advocacy for the denationalization and private issuance of competing fiat currencies. In 1978, Hayek was perfectly describing the phenomenon that would be this evening’s subject four decades later.

The description of what Bitcoin "is" soon gave way to a discussion of what Bitcoin could do. Having no controlling central authority or intermediaries, Bitcoin seems to be a remedy for politically influenced monetary collapse like we have seen in Argentina and Venezuela. It also has the potential to bring more effective and beneficial economic exchange capabilities to billions of “unbanked” people globally. Even in economically developed areas, Bitcoin’s efficiency can promote frictionless and cost-effective global trade for individuals—capabilities and opportunities that were, before now, unthinkable.

And while the presentation proved accessible, informative and engaging, it was the question and answer portion of the evening where the audience’s interest and excitement were on full display. Mr. Gill’s approachable manner encouraged technical and novice questions alike. By the end of the evening, the casually interested had a better understanding, the technically focused gained insights into future directions, and the politically Libertarian appreciated Bitcoin’s strong alignment of the technology with a potential to accelerate economic and individual freedom.

Watch Mr. Gill’s full presentation on YouTube at https://youtu.be/YMXKES2IuY4  where you should like and subscribe.

And support the WakeLP’s efforts to bring socially and politically engaging speakers to our community by starting your automatic monthly donation or a generous one-time donation at http://WakeLP.org/donate . (Available soon in Bitcoin.)