"We hold life to be sacred, but we also know the foundation of life consists in a stream of codes not so different from the successive frames of a watchvid. Why then cannot we cut one code short here, and start another there? Is life so fragile that it can withstand no tampering? Does the sacred brook no improvement?" -- Chairman Sheng-ji Yang
I would just point out that in SMACX, both Colonel Santiago and Chairman Yang generally have excellent police, resulting in very few problems with the drones.
And (especially with Yang) if there ever were a problem, he could brutally nerve-staple the problem down quite easily.
The upshot is that I think it would work. I would try it in the game.
BUT I should mention that my most successful games had shitty police and also no drone problems. Diverting even 10% of your energy resources (maybe 20% in the late game when you're stinking fucking rich) to psych, is way better. That also knocks the drones right out, replacing them with talents. Do things right and you'll get golden ages that Yang would never dream of.
Happy drones need not steal. If you bribe them, you don't have to surveille them.
"Resources exist to be consumed. And consumed they will be, if not by this generation then by some future. By what right does this forgotten future seek to deny us our birthright? None I say! Let us take what is ours, chew and eat our fill." -- CEO Nwabudike Morgan
What could possibly go wrong?!
Seriously: It'll start wars.
I do this all the time. Almost every time I play, I'm the one who first suggests we launch solar shades, because I love my coastal cities, especially my headquarters. (It's invariably at about sea level so that I can crawl energy resources from out at sea, and there are all sorts of economic secret projects that perform better the more energy is coming into the base. My HQ is always very rich and valuable.)
Anyway, all the terraforming eventually causes planet's caps to melt, and I'm usually the one who is first to try to stop it with shades. But unless I'm planetary governor, some assholes (usually Miriam or Santiago) always vote against me. If I can't get the votes, then I can't have it and that's very a serious problem because my HQ is so valuable. If I'm Morgan I might try to bribe them, but usually it requires military action. And my HQ is worth it.
Anyway, if you can't launch shades, then you can't. But if you have the tech and someone votes against it, that's going to cause major conflict.
Energy is the currency of the future.
And when at last it is time for the transition from megacorporation to planetary government, from entrepreneur to emperor, it is then that the true genius of our strategy shall become apparent, for energy is the lifeblood of this society and when the chips are down he who controls the energy supply controls Planet. In former times the energy monopoly was called "The Power Company"; we intend to give this name an entirely new meaning.
Planet's Primary, Alpha Centauri A, blasts unimaginable quantities of energy into space each instant, and virtually every joule of it is wasted entirely. Incomprehensible riches can be ours if we can but stretch our arms wide enough to dip from this eternal river of wealth.
-- CEO Nwabudike Morgan, "The Centauri Monopoly"
Humans: correct in making leap from wealth as currency to wealth as energy. But logic failure: wealth ultimately is extension of desires, fluctuating with emotions and state of mind. Desires: when all are supported in purely adaptable system, true wealth is achieved.
-- Usurper Judaa Marr, "Human: Nature"
What actually transpires beneath the veil of an event horizon? Decent people shouldn't think too much about that.
-- Academician Prokhor Zakharov, "For I Have Tasted The Fruit"
I looks like they would be charged with violating US Code Title 18, 2709 (C)(1)(a). The obvious defense is that the text on that page is not compatible with the first amendment to the constitution, and therefore isn't really the law. So obvious, in fact, that we can assume that someone has
Humans : correct in making the leap from wealth as currency to wealth as energy. But logic failure : wealth ultimately is extension of desire, fluctuating with emotions and state of mind. Desires : when all are supported in purely adaptable system, true wealth is achieved."
- Usurper Judaa Marr, "Human : Nature"
Living on Earth may be expensive, but it includes an annual free trip around the Sun.