>>351. The governments in many places are trying to regulate bitcoins. China's central bank policies have made it illegal to use bitcoins, unless its between private individuals. If you're a bank or the government thinks your company is too shady, it won't allow you to use bitcoins. Governments around the world are definitely cracking down on bitcoin with regulations, including places like the U.S.
2. Bitcoin parity is mainly determined by supply and demand. Think of it like a stock market.
3. I think the idea of bitcoins is neat and that there is nothing inherently shady with bitcoins themselves, but the exchanges you use can often times be scams or fail. I don't trust bitcoins enough to replace most currencies today, like the USD.