You can find decent cheese in the US but you have to look hard and it's usually imported. Good bread is even harder to find.
Not real hard to find good cheese if you live in Wisconsin. Just need to look for the small cheese companies.
6:30 a.m. You are awakened by your clock radio. You know it is actually 6:30 because the National Institute of Standards and Technology keeps the official time.
But long before NIST, railroads kept uniform time.
And you can listen to your favorite radio station only because the Federal Communications Commission brings organization and coherence to our vast telecommunications system. It ensures, for example, that radio stations do not overlap and that stations signals are not interfered with by the numerous other devices â" cell phones, satellite television, wireless computers, etc. â" whose signals crowd our nationâ(TM)s airwaves.
And before the FCC, radio was finding it's way towards regulation through homesteading of radio frequencies.
6:35 a.m. Like 17 million other Americans, you have asthma. But as you get out of bed you notice that you are breathing freely this morning. This is thanks in part to government clean air laws that reduce the air pollution that would otherwise greatly worsen your condition.
'Course, if you happen to live near a government-operated power plant, you're out of luck. The states seem to exempt their plants for some reason.
6:38 a.m. You go into the kitchen for breakfast. You pour some water into your coffeemaker. You simply take for granted that this water is safe to drink. But in fact you count on your city water department to constantly monitor the quality of your water and to immediately take measures to correct any potential problems with this vital resource.
Actually, at home I depend upon my own monitoring of my private well. And woe be unto anyone who pollutes the groundwater as they will be providing me with water at their cost. At work, I depend upon a private water company.
6:39 a.m. You flip the switch on the coffee maker. There is no short in the outlet or in the electrical line and there is no resulting fire in your house. Why? Because when your house was being built, the electrical system had to be inspected to make sure it was properly installed â" a service provided by your local government. And it was installed by an electrician who was licensed by your state government to ensure his competence and your safety.
Hmmm... When my house was built, the government inspector missed a bunch of problems. I'm glad the contractor did not -- he fired the sub and made it right. Most of the electrical systems in my home are UL approved -- including the coffemaker. UL is a private agency funded by the insurance industry that does testing.
Your greatest dreams are in the hands of the government everyday. And those are just the ones from the first 10 minutes after you wake up.
You live in as much of a dream world as those who oppose all government.
4,000 or so people in the US die every year because they're accidentally shot by children, ranging from toddlers to pre-teens.
I think that you are conflating and mangling multiple sources here, all of which have problems.
According to the CDC, in 2010 (latest available data) the total number of people of all ages that were UNINTENTIONALLY shot and killed was 606.
So where does your 4,000 number come from?
SCOTUS also ruled in United States v. Cruikshank that the First Amendment right to assembly was not intended to limit the powers of the State governments in respect to their own citizens. Reaching back to a case before SCOTUS began enforcing fundamental rights protected by the Bill of Rights doesn't really carry much weight these days.
United States v. Miller could also be read with "reasonable relationship to the preservation or efficiency of a well regulated militia" indicating that the "arms" most protected by the Second Amendment are those which are in use by the military. After all, how can the militia get training in use of those weapons if they are not available for use?
The actual text from United States v. Miller of "The Court cannot take judicial notice that a shotgun having a barrel less than 18 inches long has today any reasonable relation to the preservation or efficiency of a well regulated militia, and therefore cannot say that the Second Amendment guarantees to the citizen the right to keep and bear such a weapon." seems to support the position I mention above at least as well as the one you put forth.
If you wish to live in community that heavily regulates firearms, then band together and do so - nothing restricts a locality/city/region from banning the things of their own initiative (see also Chicago, D.C, New York City, etc.)
Might want to look into that part a little more. While SCOTUS has said that there a many acceptable restrictions, DC's ban is gone, Chicago's ban has just gone and others will surely follow. Note that officials in DC and Chicago are still attempting to come up with something that will be acceptable under the standards set by the courts, but that's to be expected.
"You need tender loving care once a week - so that I can slap you into shape." - Ellyn Mustard