Would that be the same middle class that is being destroyed by the current system? Seems like they're fucked either way.

Hear, hear!!

You should have been moderated UP for this one!!

Why would you bring terrorism into this? I made no mention of it... FBI's ability to decrypt private electronics would make it easier for them to prosecute all sorts of criminals — from terrorists to corrupt policemen. At the expense of privacy of the rest of us, of course.

You should be careful about uncritically accepting the way a culture likes to present itself

That's the point. We like to present ourselves as Individuals — and that's why concerns for personal privacy ought to trump those of collective safety, however valid the latter might be.

That we don't always act the way — a significant part of the population thinks, they can force others to be as (and even more) charitable as they are, for example — but that's of no account. Not in this conversation...

In the full quote — in all its different permutations — the given up freedom (liberty) must be essential and the security gained — temporary. With such qualifiers, it becomes a little less obvious, does not it? For example, if the security gained is permanent (as long as device-makers cooperate with authorities), is it worth an essential liberty? Franklin didn't leave any guidance for such case...

I'll take my chance and live life, rather than cower in some hole.

Fortunately, no one — certainly not the FBI — are forcing you into "some hole". Excluded middle much?

That said, I like your spirit, because I too prefer the Individual over Collective...

it is just car dealer lobbyist having a stronger voice (and bigger overall wallet) than Tesla

A variety of new businesses offer a new way of doing things — to the chagrin of the incumbents already profiting from the old way.

Nice to see Tesla having full support of /., which Uber and other taxi-replacements, for some reason, do not get...

His blitz continues today with a speech that says encryption will hurt public safety.

I suspect, he is right — it will hurt public safety.

But it will improve individual privacy and America has always valued the cantankerous Individual above the glorious Collective, that other cultures prefer...

Unfortunately complacency is thought to be the price paid for access. I'd think you'd want a full spectrum of coverage.

I don't mind them reading the WH statements, but it is generally useless unless independent thought, and investigation accompanies it.

The WH could just as easily post their scripts online for us to read...in which case, what use are the news agencies?

So then we are in agreement it has nothing to do with the current president and everything to do with the broken system.

Close, but not quite...

I think with Obama, we've hit a new low, and it has been an agenda pushed by them with veracity we've not seen with previous presidencies.

I think they should stop allowing the President or other officials from "choosing" whom to get questions from in the pool...make it a random drawing who gets question 1, 2, 3....

But has gotten progressively worse...and that means the current admin is about bottom of the barrel with respect to this...until the next admin....

I'd say one extra thing...don't tax food, that way it wouldn't be regressive against the poor which is often the argument for a consumption tax.

I'd also be for a flat tax too....one simple form, done.

I'm pretty sure that not everyone agrees to such a thing.

I'm pretty sure the majority of married folks agree with exactly what the parent poster stated...married changes it to implied consent unless rejected. You don't have to ask first before you grope in marriage. Marriage for 99.99999% of the people implies sex between the couple. Otherwise, why would you put up with the legal and fiscal baggage that comes along with it?

If we had a more independent, and aggressive, investigative news agencies out there, Obama and other politicians (both parties) would not get away with half the shit they do.

I think the news agencies should, in general, always view the administration at the time as somewhat adversarial, and should always be on the look for errors, law breaking and any hint of wrong doing. That should be their jobs, to constantly being on the heels of those in power, and keep them on their toes.

When you lose true news investigation and reporting, you lose democracy....the free press is needed to keep the administration honest, and just parroting news feeds from whatever administration is in office does the country absolutely NO service, and can in fact, allow very bad things to happen to the country as a whole as well as to erode and harm citizens on a more personal level.

I think balkanization is the way it's going to go. It may suck in some respects, but if I end up paying $30 or $40 a month, but it's made up of programs I actually have to watch, as opposed to flipping through dozens of channels filled with duplication or crap I have no interest in, for double that price, then i'll be happy.

And frankly, the studios should start getting worried. With Netflix producing and buying original programming, with HBO bringing its own suite to streaming, you can be sure players like AMC will be close behind. The traditional production and distribution model is beginning to break down. It may take a few more years, but you will, in a decade, have companies like Netflix and HBO as online behemoths, and the studios will find themselves the poor cousins.