[_b8r0]

> Blockchain doesn't provide irrefutable evidence of anything except that the record wasn't tampered with after the fact

> (and it's a very expensive and wasteful way to do so)

No it isn't. You're confusing blockchain (the algorithm) with Proof-of-Work (a method for providing decentralized consensus).

> Blockchain does nothing to verify the correctness of the data it holds, only its consistency with the history.

Correct. Nor does any other data structure. Blockchain is literally just a data structure, nothing more.