A very simple tax system - flat tax, fair tax, take your pick - would mean you don't need to spend the money and time on complex software to detect possible tax evasion (or, more likely, simple mistakes in the mountain of forms).

The tax code is the problem.

Yup. Safety is just another word for politics here. That and avoiding lawsuits.

Elon Musk's Grok is pretty decent about this, by the way. It tells you how to make thermite, whereas ChatGPT scolds you. Grok still gives you warnings, like it may not be legal so check first, and be careful, but it still gives you the information.

The same thing happens with demon summoning. Ask Grok and ChatGPT how to summon a demon. GPT refuses. Grok will entertain your request.

The USA has a ton of problems right now. I wish that "Files Taxes Online With the IRS" were anywhere near the top ten.

What is needed is competition. Government services will result in lazy beauracrats that don't care if your service is broken or slow, they get paid with your taxes anyway.

No, what we need is to kill the stranglehold the large companies have, using regulation, zoning, monopolistic contracts, etc. that prevent new companies from entering the market and offering service.

How many stories have we seen about small local companies being killed on the vine because they weren't even allowed to compete?

We don't have a free market in many places. We should. It would solve a lot of these issues and require zero tax dollars.

Instead of being condescending, why not explain (especially for those of us who do not keep up on hardware)?

Ah yes, the powerful, influential right wing political machine in Oregon. Okay. Sure.

See, this is the arrogance he's talking about. Nobody has all of the answers. Nobody is always correct, all the time.

Who gets shafted with someone else's debt?

There is no labor shortage. There is a government welfare abundance, and a shortage of companies paying decent wages.

It is not capitalism at fault. It is bad management. Capitalism will punish the bad decisions.

I do pop in once in a while; there's this cowboy who speed runs old NES games and it's interesting to see the glitches / strategies, involved. But for the most part... I'd rather play a game myself instead of watch someone else do it.

There is something to be said for organized, high-level play, that can be interesting, but sitting down to watch some rando?

Not putting it down, people seem to like it. I just don't see the mass appeal.

It reminds me of being in grade school. First or second grade. Long time ago... Anyway, one of the kids did something stupid, the teacher got angry, and said that we would all be punished until the person who did the thing came forward. And I sat there thinking, "Why should I be punished because some other kid is being the problem?"

Anyway, can pseudo be used to make meth or whatever? Sure. I'm sure it can. But I'm not making meth. I want to be able to breathe. Don't make life any harder on me, I'm not the problem.

I think a good middle ground, that may satisfy both parties here, may be a certification of some kind that can be displayed on the product. That would give the consumer information (oh, this product is certified by the FDA) and let them decide, without limiting freedom of choice.

That's great, but not something The Average User is going to be able to do - or even know is possible.

Today, with current technology. Who knows what we will be able to do 50 years from now?

That's the whole point. You cannot simply arrive at your destination. You must travel there.