In those few cases, they may need to take the bullet. Or use other technologies to protect themselves while politely inquiring at the doorstep.

"I'm not sure why they shouldn't prep a raid."

I thought the TFA (which you "actually do read") and this subthread is exactly about reasons for that.

Taking the situation seriously ... ok.
Staging a raid ... not ok.

"seem like"

There's the problem there. The burden of proof for "seeming" is pathetically low, and yet the police create huge risks to the lives of the people they raid, and their own lives, by acting on such impressions.

"the police department's head e-mailed the entire department to ask any police sent to the address in question to "knock with your hand, not your boot."

That sounds like appropriate advice for apprx. all addresses.

... becomes subjective bias-reinforcement when using the phrase "even worse" in comparing numbers

"It's just not something we talk and think a lot about ..."

While to you and me, that makes perfect sense, to others it is a signal that you are at best in denial and at worst a party to the Evil Patriarchy. Sorry.

If you want to produce your own goods, purchase or grow your own raw materials, mix in your labour, and go for it. No one will shoot you.

(If you're limiting your concern to the bootstrapping question of how someone who has nothing can get something ... well, such people can do unskilled labour or rely on charity, -then- purchase those raw materials. This isn't rocket science, and it describes a vanishingly small fraction of the population.)

"and either everyone works for you or starves or you will kill them ..."

You must feel very cautious every time you frequent a grocery store, taxi, computer company, landlord, bank, airport, even the guy who sells you underwear, if you think they're secretly planning to kill you if you don't purchase their goods.

"those that scream the loudest about government are always the ones who want to be the sole controller of government"

Au contraire, many of us would simply yell "laissez faire", and not control government nor you.

"If we had it your way..."

I'm not sure you've quite met the evidentiary burden of that claim.

... and when basic broadband connectivity does become widespread (isn't it already?), then the goalposts move "25 Mbps downstreamâ"the speed increasingly recognized as a baseline" ... requiring yet more government transfer-of-wealth.

I would like the state neither to grant such a monopoly, nor compete with private interests.

"Why do you hate democratically-elected officials making decisions so much?"

I would rather leave to ceasar (government) what is ceasar's, and to god (free enterprise) what is god's.

"You mean that every time a local community decides to foot the cost themselves ..."

That makes it sound so unanimous and wholesome. But 'course the way the "local community decides" really is to have a few representatives chosen by an occasional plurality of voters spend the involuntary taxes of everyone in the community.