not so fictional unfortunately!

in the mail server that I administer there are about 80/90.000 connection to send mail every day, of those only about 2.000 weren't blocked by the greylist.
of those 2000 at least 10% were blocked on the first mail server as spam or virus and then at least another 10% is blocked on the final server for the same causes.

so no more than 1600 mail/day were legittimate (or at least not filtered out, because many spam still pass) and that comprise the locally generated mail (the ones that doesn't have spam or virus except for the occasional epidemic...)

so at least 78400/80000 = 98% were spam (or virus), excluding the locally generated mail at least 99% of the mail coming in from internet is certainly unwanted!

I want be surprised if only 0.5% or less were truly legitimate working mail and not unusefull mailing list never cancelled...

well, steam isn't the only alternative, there are reasonable people like at www.gog.com that sell you downloadable games that will never require an internet connection (except for the first download)

and in few year there will hardly be any device without any possibility of on lyne interaction or at least possibility to simply plug in an usb key with the file downloaded elsewere...

they are after the first part of the taxes, directly detracted from the salary, then there are the ones at the end of the year, the ones on the propriety of house, the one on garbage and some other minor...

but if yours is cut in half there is not an astonish difference as i initially thought. between all the kind of taxes it's about 50-55% in taxes.

that's for the most of the population.

theoretically the more rich have more severe taxes, but they usually have hired professional able to find loophole to pay much less :(

average income at 2500 Euro/month?????

where do you live?

or to be more precise, where do I live!!!

here in Italy 1200-1300 euro/month are much more the norm!

that's for people with some specialization, and after a lot of taxation were already applied by the employer on before the paycheck.

but there were still many different taxes at the end of the year and our local version of VAT (called IVA)
it's more frequently at 20% (with some goods at less, like 4%)

but if you became (for example) a fat bloat practically paralysed, unable to do any work of any kind that could benefit the society and without money to sustain yourself does society leave you to die?

or someone (friend, relatives, church, neighbour, charity, ... ) pay for you in time, sweat or money?

much more likely the latter than the former...

so in 99% of the cases your self destruction is a cost for the society (even if you commit suicide or die there are the cost to dispose of the corpse...) at no added benefit.

you could never be totally separated and independent from the society, unless you live like an Inuit of a long time ago, so you have some privileges and some responsibility, that you want it or not.

well, theoretically no, the people themselves should self regulate and help neighbour and family regulate themselves.

but evidently it hasn't functioned.

so, albeit I doubt this tax is a solution to the problem, I definitely support some kind of intervention.

granted, I'm not from the USA, but from Italy where usually there is a much better culinary tradition. but even here we start to see a lot of really fat child and even mecdonald addicted ones...

contrary to the USA we have public healthcare, so if many stupid people gorge themselves at mcdonald and became really fat and with a ton of health problems that need medical cares I pay for them too!

and making a server for every game area (with a way to move seamlessly from one area/server to another ) instead of many instance of the same server with every area on it?

because about no one know what will happen to him when he was rounded up.

the majority of the world (and of the german themselves) discovered it only when the allied soldier conquered the camps.

so resit to the death or be "simply" relocate was the choice of the moment for most (if they had weapon and time to use them) if they know at all that something will happen and what could it been.

reading your post i immediately thought of many crimes done by stupid USA military against italians. in all those cases the culprit were never estradited to italy.

for reference to those cases, i doesn't remember details but maybe a bit of googling could help...

1) some 20+ year ago some brash stupid topgun flowed their fighter a bit too near some civilian zones, cutting the cable of a chairlift killing some tens of people... cernis case (if i remember correctly)

2) during the last iraqi invasion an italian secret service agent nogotiate to free an italian hostage, when they were on the car to the airport the solder at a roadblock fired a lot on the car killing the agent and another of the passengers. calipary case

the government of italy rarely posed itself directly against the mafia in the last 15-20+ years expecially the various berlusconi's ones

a friend of mine told me on a completely unintended act against mafia that happened during the first Iraqi invasion, when a lot of italian military where on the road of a major Italian city of the south when it was used by the USA as a jump point for the invasion.

with so much military on the streets the lowly mafia agents that usually goes to ask pizzo from the various commercial activity never presented.
the population (or at least the owner of these small business) were so thankfull that he and his fellow soldier were unable to pay for any service in those bar and kiosk...

that's a kind of act that the government could do versus the mafia (or one of his aspects)

the berlusconi's government instead used the military as a show-piece that the government is taking some action during the last summer escalation of raping (at least escalation in the media, doesn't know if it were for real) distributing them in the various major city (of the nord where there are much less if any mafia) to make a work they were not prepared to (role of the various police forces).

the newspapers aren't widely readed in italy.

and the majority are much aligned with a political party.

so even who read something read usually a journal already aligned with his ideas...

rarely berlusca fans read journals not preaching him, and the majority simply see his TV...

a sad situation of 30 milion+ gullible ignorants...

in response to the parent: yes, all the animal do things in self interest, but when the animals evolve a society is for the development and safety of the entire race first and themselves later.

someone described it much better but do not remember who or where

there are various degree of evolution of a social animal (man for example)
- some think only of themselves
- some are capable of self sacrifice for the sake of his child and family
- some are capable of self sacrifice for the sake of the tribe or village
- some for the city
- some for the nation
- some for the survival of his "race" or religion
- some maybe for the sake of all of humanity (or human race)

I suppose the parent do not consider anything above the nation as worthy but fortunately some do.

because we are all on a single small planet with finite space and resources, a single environment (and maybe a failing environment control system).

it could be true that bothering to better the welfare of foreign nation has no immediate reward for you or your nation (or even worst be damaging),
but that foreign nation is still on this world, his people problem will always be problems of the entire planet directly or indirectly (world economy destabilization, mass emigration, pandemic virus creation...) and your child or nephew may pay the price if not you.

just to repeat myself from other copyright posts...

the original copyright was a monopoly granted from the English crown to the corporation to avoid "pirating" independent printer.

the intent of the copyright adopted in the USA was to promote creation and innovation.

at this time everywhere the copyright is reverting to his original despicable form.

the time limit on copyright should only have one purpose, encourage creators of a good creation to produce other good product.

not make sure the retirement pension for his nephew

a professional sf book writer in many essays about copyright drm ecc evaluated that, for a professional book author a copyright of 40 years is about right (do not remember the eventual post mortem part but you should read all his essay yourself here: http://baens-universe.com/authors/Eric_Flint bottom first)

I'm with you about the fact that the bulk of the protection should to the authors and not the corporation who own them!!!!