Proposal 304 (Q5219)

My thesis as a delegate is: “Nouns has a unique role in the ecosystem as a gathering place around public goods.” I am strongly in favor of this proposal. Ethereum’s core values include censorship resistance, and that is something very few groups are willing to fund. Ensuring that MEV relayers are neutral is key as more and more organizations consolidate on a small number of relayers. In addition, Ultra Round Relay is a good example of something that other organizations won’t fund. Nouns is the perfect group in the ecosystem to fund this. One detail of the prop that I would have liked to see is some kind of promotion that Ultra Sound Relay gives Nouns. This could range from a simple “Sponsored by Nouns ⌐◨-◨” to something fun, like special callouts for blocks with Nouns Graffiti. The prop points to goodwill and attention generated by these donations, which is true but attention is often brief. I’d love to see something more ongoing in collaboration with Ultra Sound Relay. Given that Noun 40 has been in communication with the Ultra Sound Relay team, I don’t see this as necessary in the prop, but it would be nice to follow up when the prop is completed. This kind of promotion is a way to continue to attract people with Ethereum’s values to Nouns, and it is important for ideological alignment. One important note: Given the liability considerations around OFAC, I am voting “Abstain” rather than “For.” DAOs badly need solutions to limit liability for voters, but the aggressive interpretation taken by regulators makes it harder to take this risk. Allowing voters to freely express speech without significant concerns for the liability surrounding those actions is important, and something I’ve been personally researching and would love to bring to Nouns. While I continue this research, I will vote “Abstain.” I sincerely hope that we can figure out approaches that would allow me to freely vote “For.”