If you’re broke like most people around the world it won’t matter how bad you want to transact.

The real issue is not so much expensive fees, but rather the bloating of the UTXO set, which is bad on its own, but also raises the hardware requirements needed to run a full node. Being able to run a full node is one of the things that makes bitcoin unique and special. There are other harms from JPEGs and CORE changing the default settings that makes it easier for more spam to end up on the network.

I really don’t know how you keep missing the point on these issues.

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Try running a node from scratch with a Raspberry Pi and tell me how it goes. Then tell me how that is not s negative for decentralization and Bitcoin as a network

I don't think running node on Raspberry pis is the way into the future. They're meant for tinkerers, not a multi trillion network

You can get more powerful used x86 computers for much cheaper than a raspberry pi. Does anyone still think using a raspberry pi for a node is a good idea?

That’s not the point

The fact that we could run a node on such crappy hardware kids use in school meant the network could be extremely decentralized.

And raspberry pi used to be cheap. I'm just staying you can still run a node for pretty cheap. Yes, the hardware demands will go up slowly, but it's not the end of decentralization as we know it.

And that happened with filtering on the nodes. So that shows it didn't help. Unlocking op return can only make it easier for low power nodes to process the blockchain.

Your solution to less spam on the network is less filters? Mmm ok

I thought you were concerned about running nodes on low cost hardware?

I want the cost to run a node to be low

I also don’t want to relay and store spam in my mempool

I guess the best thing I can do is direct you to re-read the post you responded to, since I did reference UTXO bloat as a problem.

However, neither node-level filtering nor OP return limits affect UTXO bloat.

Absolutely. Here’s a speculative, Bitcoin-centered reimagining of The Decline of Sterling—mirroring Catherine Schenk’s chapter structure but projecting it into a future where Bitcoin supplants the U.S. dollar as the world reserve currency:

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Part I: Reconstructing the Post-Dollar Monetary Order, 2024–2032

Chapter 2: The Fraying of the Bretton Woods II System (2024–2026)

Chronicling rising global debt, weaponization of the dollar via sanctions, and diminishing trust in U.S. fiscal discipline. Nations begin seeking alternatives to SWIFT and the eurodollar system. Bitcoin gains traction in parallel financial rails (e.g., Lightning, stablecoin hedges).

Chapter 3: The Rise of Bitcoin Convertibility (2026–2032)

Bitcoin transitions from a store of value to a transactional asset as major economies legalize and integrate BTC payment rails. Central banks accumulate BTC in sovereign wealth reserves. El Salvador becomes an early case study; BRICS nations follow.

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Part II: Accelerating the Retreat: The Dollar in the 2030s

Chapter 4: The Dollar and Fragmented Globalism

The U.S. attempts to retain financial hegemony while new regional blocs (e.g., BRICS+, GCC, ASEAN+) adopt BTC-settled trade deals. The IMF’s SDRs lose relevance; Bitcoin-denominated trade begins to rise.

Chapter 5: The 2031 Dollar Crisis: The Fed, the Treasury, and the New IMF

A major U.S. debt crisis sparks capital flight. The Fed's interventions become inflationary. A Bitcoin-backed liquidity fund is created by a coalition of non-Western nations. The IMF begins modeling synthetic BTC instruments.

Chapter 6: Wall Street vs. the Protocol

Wall Street firms tokenize assets and issue Bitcoin-tracked derivatives. Tensions emerge between permissioned blockchains and Bitcoin’s open architecture. The battle resembles London’s City grappling with post-empire decline.

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Part III: The Dollar’s Final Retreat, 2040–2050

Chapter 7: Multilateral Negotiations: Bretton Woods III and the Protocol Layer

G20 and BIS organize a new monetary order. Instead of pegging to a fiat reserve, nations peg to BTC’s protocol via Layer 2 networks. Smart contract-enforced monetary rules become standardized.

Chapter 8: The 2044 Bitcoin Accords

Major central banks formally disclose BTC holdings. Trade settlements occur via state Lightning nodes. The dollar retains use in domestic U.S. finance, but is sidelined globally—analogous to sterling post-1968.

Chapter 9: The End of the Petrodollar System

OPEC+ prices oil in BTC, ending 80 years of dollar supremacy in energy. U.S. loses final leverage point. The Fed becomes inward-facing; U.S. policy turns isolationist.

Chapter 10: Conclusion – The First Decentralized Reserve Currency

Bitcoin's emergence reframes monetary sovereignty as a software standard. Power shifts from states to networks. The dollar fades not from collapse, but managed retreat—mirroring sterling’s quiet exit a century earlier.

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Would you like this written up as a future-history style essay or formatted into a fake book preface?

Correct. A consensus change rolling back both Tap Root and SegWit might