ummmm.... Isn't that what I said? That society is a way to change what fittest means?

In fairness, the SLS is supposed to be more powerful than the Falcon 9. On the other hand, an extra $400M would probably be plenty for SpaceX to get the Falcon Heavy flying, which will be capable of most of the things that the SLS is supposed to handle and at a vastly lower per-launch price even if they *don't* manage to make the launcher reusable. Hell, an extra $400M would probably go much further toward SpaceX managing to build their interplanetary craft (the one that's supposed to ferry people to Mars) than it will actually produce toward the SLS, and you'd get a more powerful (and probably *still* cheaper per-use) spaceship out of it, too!

I wasn't under the impression that the government making things that help (in the case of the TSA, that last word is highly sarcastic) a private industry render that industry public. If that were the case, any industry that relied on the interstate highways (or even just public roads) would seem to apply. Or anything involving oceanic operations (Coast Guard, NOAA weather stations, survey charts, hell even GPS). In many parts of the country, municipal water is government-run; does that mean that the government "funds" restaurants by making sure that they don't need to perform their own water quality testing before they can serve it to their guests?

Mind you, I'm ignorant of (and therefore not considering) any legal history which may exist around this issue. So far as I know, the gov does not actually directly fund airlines in any way and instead just has agencies who are responsible for making sure that planes don't fall out of the sky, crash into each other, or get hijacked for use as missiles... at least, not very often. I'm not sure how this is different from the government agencies which make sure that road signs are accurate, bridges can support the weight of a truck driving over them, and people aren't allowed to tear through residential neighborhoods at whatever speed they feel like. Well, aside from the fact that many (though not all) of the relevant agencies are operated by lesser governments than the feds.

Anyhow, if there's actually something that makes the difference, then I'm curious but accept that my understanding was incorrect. To the best of my knowledge, an airline agent is a public servant in much the same way that a cruise ship agent is - that is, not at all. They have authority within the scope of their employer (including the authority to evict you from the plane, assuming that in doing so they are not putting anybody's life in undue danger) but then, so does any restaurant proprietor if they have reason to believe that you are harmful to their business. They have the authority to call the police, but so does any private citizen for any scenario in which they think a crime has been or is being (or imminently will be) committed. They do not, to my understanding, have the authority to force the police to arrest anybody or indeed to show up at all, although given the nature of their job I'm sure they can convince the police to show up any time they want them to (at risk of crying wolf too many times). Again, correct me if I'm wrong about any of this.

I don't care how big they get because they can't form the same kind of monopoly.

And this is why content providers and ISPs should be separate. This is only an issue for cable companies because they provide both bandwidth and content, and Netflix threatens their content offerings because it provides a service that people actually *want* at a reasonable price.

Especially if those thongs ride up and chafe.

That may well be true, but has nothing to do with Murdoch buying Time-Warner.

...President Biden.

They'd be giving Joe the advantage of incumbency in the 2016 election and if they didn't get Obama out before the middle of January of 2015, Biden would be eligible for two full terms plus the remaining 2 years of Obama's second term.

" I guess we're going to find out how much of that system we can destroy until we ourselves go extinct, or figure out a way to exist outside of the food web. Remember, just because you don't care about some little tree frog somewhere doesn't mean that the symbiotic and inter-connected nature of the system doesn't care.
"
Wow you see this is what makes me crazy.
1. humans are not destroying the system. Changing yes but not destroying. The ecosystem of earth seems very resistant to destruction and no Place on earth is completely lifeless.
2. No the interconnected system doesn't "care". If you are not religious you need to live in a reality that nothing outside of humans and a few other higher animals care about anything.

I agree. But to be honest Darwin's theory of evolution pretty much proves that biggest jerk wins. Society is seems to be humans way of saying that we are going to choose what fittest means. AKA it is the anti jerk force.

A man goes to a doctor. The doctor says "You need to stop smoking." Man says "SNORE! Old news, you told me that last time, tell me something I don't know!" and lights up. The man dies shortly thereafter *.

It is news because it is still happening and most people don't know it, or like to pretend we're not in for rough times. If a story is a duplicate on slashdot, then that's one thing. If it's so obvious that everyone already knows it, then that's also fair to object.

It has taken care of us very well. We are thriving. That is kind of how nature works the fittest survive.

Maybe start by asking why they are all spouting the same nonsense. Then conclude that it's because we have stupid voters who tolerate it. Then move.

I get the impression that you have about equal chances of getting a rude gate agent no matter what airlines you fly with. Which is to say they're almost all reasonable people, but sometimes have bad days, other times it depends more on how you ask. The guy here seems to have an entitlement. He's a frequent flyer, his kids aren't, he was asking if they could get on with him in the early boarding. He could have paid the early check-in fee for them and gotten on before most people anyway. I think it's $15 on southwest. Point is, he had other options. It's fine to ask for favors, but if you're fuming about someone NOT granting you a favor, you're probably the asshole in that situation.

Moreover, personally, I'm willing to pay for more polite staff. Specifically, I'm willing to pay maybe five dollars. Southwest is still cheaper usually. Who cares about rude gate agents?

On service (as in flights on time) I have gotten the impression that they're slipping. Their fleet isn't as young as it used to be. Mechanical issues seem to be causing more delays. That said, they're still newer planes than Delta. I suspect southwest's reputation is working against them here: If Delta is delayed 2 hours you think "Fucking Delta, always pulling this shit, good thing I brought a book to read just in case this happened." If Southwest is delayed you think "WHAT THE FUCK!!! SOUTHWEST ISN'T SUPPOSED TO DO THIS SHIT!!! AAAAA!!!!"

I may be biased though because Delta woke me up in very the middle of a trans-pacific flight to fucking sell me duty free shit, and I didn't get back to sleep the remaining 6 or so hours, then on the ground I learned they had smashed both of my checked articles, and then told me with a straight face that I took that risk when I checked it. Southwest doesn't do international flights, so doesn't have a chance to wake me up trying to sell me something, and I don't check bags anymore.

What first amendment rights were violated? I'm absolutely serious about this; please point to any violation of first amendment rights anywhere in here.

While you do so, remember that the first amendment restricts the actions of the *government* - that is, it prohibits the making of laws that do certain things - and has absolutely nothing to do with the private sector. Here, let me quote it for you (emphasis mine):

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

So, which law did SWAirlines cause Congress to pass that violated these people's first amendment rights? Go on, point it out please.

Or were you just mouthing off about stuff you don't understand, trying to get people riled up about an issue that doesn't even exist? Because that... well, let's just say it speaks volumes about your intelligence (and that of the person who modded you up). Volumes that I doubt you would ever read, since apparently you can't be bothered to read (or at least, understand) one of the most important *sentences* ever committed to text in the history of this nation...

Except it wan't actual broken or horrible. That's what an anti science politician keeps saying.