Lots of questions. May I allow myself to answer one of them?
"Is Bitcoin A Legitimate Exchange Of Value?". There isn't much you can spend your bitcoin on at the moment, but I am starting to find some uses that are more convenient than sending cash. For example:
- I could quickly and easily buy Steemit Power at the weekend. Valuable for the curation.
- I made a charitable donation to a poor family in Venezuela to buy food. They received the donation within minutes.
- I wanted to buy an online charting tool. I could pay for it quickly in bitcoin without having to use a credit card.
OK, I agree it's not much yet.
For me, I have provided for my family's needs, so investing a little surplus income in bitcoin is a diversification away from traditional forms of saving. Anything I invest in could go to zero. Dollars may go the way of Zimbabwe, equities might crash, bonds could default, even gold may lose its lustre.
By diversifying, I don't have all the eggs in one basket, and can hopefully survive the next downwave.
Whether "Digital Assets" can be classified assets is still up for debate, but as I see it there is enough confidence to invest a little in this asset class believing that someone else will want it if I need the cash.
I would also like to comment on the "criminal" use.
Every transaction on the blockchain is visible to everyone. Sooner or later the cash or bitcoin has to be converted. At that point it will pass through an exchange which is regulated for money laundering. If there are questions about the source or origin of funds, it's easier to work your way back through the transactions on the blockchain, than it is to follow a suitcase full of banknotes.
Law enforcement agencies are now buying tools which can unravel the myriads of transactions so it does not take much effort to know where the crypto came from and where it went. As soon as it hits an exchange, they can identify the owner.