Have you never heard of "automated teller machines"? 24 hour access to my funds, without any fees. I can also use the bill pay system my bank provides me for free to pay most of my bills online, safe and secure, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Instant access to all my money all the time. Too bad you don't understand how to use the internet to conduct your financial transactions.....

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and financial surveillance

Are you trying to convince people that the authorities around the world are not tracking btc transactions? Seriously??

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And sure, you can store cash without a bank, but it's risky.

Not really. It's certainly no more risky than the numerous incidents of bitcoin accounts being hacked resulting in btc being stolen, never to be recovered by the owners.

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You can't make backups of cash.

Sure you can. I can back up (by printing out) my bank statement anytime I want to. Therefore I have proof I had the money in the bank. You're being silly again.

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Transfer times are not instant in the legacy banking system.

Nor are they "instant" in the btc system. It takes time to verify the btc code is valid and not duplicated. You taught us that. Did you forget?

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There is also the potential for chargebacks or reversals.

Which protects the buyer. The buyer has ZERO protection when using bitcoin. Your "advantage" is a disadvantage to half of the users of btc transactions.

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The delays in international transfers can be pretty long as well,

Nope. I've received a wire transfer while in Moscow within minutes. BTC transactions on the bitcoin exchanges can take days to complete. On Mt Gox now (the largest btc exchange) btc owners who want to get dollar for their bitcoins can't get ANY dollars out no matter how long they wait. Dollar withdrawals are not allowed.
And before you try to use your usual strawman argument about the exchanges are not the bitcoin "system," you are referring to getting money out of the 'system' in an international transfer system which you can only do if you go through an exchange.

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but bitcoin uses can't be excluded.

You're kidding, right? There are numerous examples of bitcoin accounts being frozen or seized. Plus, the market, which you love, excludes most bitcoin transactions by not accepting bitcoins for payment for their goods or services.

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if you travel with any large amount of cash on hand, you run a high risk of getting it seized by states.

No, you don't. You run a risk, but a small one, not a "high risk." I've made over 200 international trips for work and I've never had any of my money seized by any authority. So you could say I've had ZERO risk. And I have been to some very totalitarian, schizo countries. ZERO money taken from me.

This post was edited on 7/8/13 at 10:21 am