ioRadio - The Technology and Ethics Podcast - IO Radio #6 - Is Texas a Crypto Welfare State? - Interview with Jackie Sawicky of the Texas Coalition Against Crypto Mining

IO Radio #6 - Is Texas a Crypto Welfare State? - Interview with Jackie Sawicky of the Texas Coalition Against Crypto Mining

05/10/23 • 57 min

ioRadio - The Technology and Ethics Podcast

Is Texas a crypto welfare state? We often hear that the crypto mining industry is good for the economy and the energy business. In IO Radio #5 we reacted to a propaganda video claiming that Riot and other crypto miners were good for Texas, but what do local citizens think? Adam and I talk to Jackie Sawicky - founder of the Texas Coalition Against Crypto Mining - her organization has boots on the ground in Navarro county and is trying to educate people about the lies and misinformation being spread about mining facilities being built and operated in Texas. What's at stake when a mining operation moves next door? According to Jackie it's much more than you think. Communities are being exploited and people's lives are are put at risk while municipalities give away electricity to private corporations who sell it back to the public at a huge profit. Listen to the shocking story of what's happened to the small rural Texas communities who've had bitcoin mining come to their front door, and ask yourself if government should be in the business of subsidizing the crypto industry. Full video version here: https://youtu.be/aggYYjqjPEs

Previous Episode

IO Radio #5 - We React To "Dear Elizabeth Warren" - A Bitcoin Propaganda Film

There appears to be a sizable amount of resources being pumped into producing these pro-Bitcoin propaganda films. This one was released recently, making some serious claims about Senator Elizabeth Warren and whether Bitcoin is in fact good for energy production instead of being criminally wasteful. Now you can see both sides as we react to this new video. My apologies if the audio levels are a bit wonky on this - I made some mistakes during the recording and hopefully fixed them as best I could (and will do better for future episodes). Additional references: Cambridge Bitcoin Electricity Consumption Index - https://ccaf.io/cbnsi/cbeci Petition opposing Bitcoin Mining by the Concerned Citizens of Navarro County - https://www.change.org/p/no-to-riot-bitcoin-mine-in-navarro-county. Full video version here: https://youtu.be/HPbZElliHoQ

Next Episode

IO Radio #7 - "Why do you hate crypto?" - Our Motivation for Being Critical of Crypto

This is a leading question often asked of crypto skeptics. The implication is that our dislike of the technology is based on emotion rather than on facts and evidence. In IO Radio #7 American Scream and I discuss the motivations behind our crypto criticism. Let us know what your reasons are for being skeptical of the future of finance. Did you or someone you know get scammed? Or are you crypto critical for more philosophical reasons? Full video version here: https://youtu.be/qkVjobcJjik