That, and replacing a hand is one thing - replacing your entire body sans brain is another.

Actually, there is the American Federation of Musicians. Granted, it is far and away the most inept and least effective collective bargaining unit in human history, but it does exist. A lot of musicians I know consider their AFM membership as just a really expensive compulsory newsletter subscription.

Building codes are also often protected by copyright. I ran across this in New York State a number of years ago and had the same reaction - how can laws passed by an elected body representing the citizens be copyrighted? Beyond the basic question of how we are supposed to abide by laws that are not in the public domain, there is the question of how copyrighted laws "promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts," which according to the Constitution is the whole point of copyright.

Heinlein specifically states in the book that the armed forces make up only a small percentage (2% I think) of the government services one may serve in to qualify for the vote. That would likely mitigate the influence of veterans among the total body of voting citizens. I seem to recall this comes up when Rico's father is trying to talk him out of joining the military (it's been 20 years since I read the book - apologies if the details are a bit fuzzy) and to steer him towards a safer civil service job.

You also get a fair amount of the "that's not my job" types. Their job has a job description and a list of tasks on their yearly review. If a task does not show up on them, they refuse to do it. They have the right to be this wy, because they do do the task that are on their yearly review. In the private sector (non-union), you get rid of these people.

At every union job I have had, the employer can require you to perform just about any task, but you can only be evaluated based on your performance of the tasks on your job description. This actually works quite well to protect employees (otherwise a manager who just plain didn't like you could get you fired by requiring you to do a job completely outside your field of expertise, then giving you an unsatisfactory evaluation when you screw it up) while allowing them to "git-r-done" during extraordinary situations.

If the "extraordinary situation" becomes permanent, the job description can be amended with the new duties if the management, employee, and union all agree, and this may entail the company sending the employee for some training, which is a good idea from everyone's perspective.

I don't think it's anger, I think it's fear. [snip] Even before our strict gun laws very few people owned hand guns, I can't imagine living in a country where fear of your fellow countrymen is the norm.

Speaking as a USian, I think it is overstating the case to assert that "fear of [our] countrymen is the norm" (if that is indeed your implication). Although I can certainly see where you would get that idea from all of the wingnut apocalyptic talk around here. I think that the primary motivation for preserving and exercising the right to keep and bear arms is to keep those in power just a little off-balance. At least, that was the original idea. Whether that is a realistic expectation given the federal government's access to modern military weaponry is another question.

Anyway, it is definitely not the case that most people walk down most streets in the US worried about getting their caps peeled by Their Fellow Americans. Some people, and some streets, yes, but not the vast majority.

Yeah, I know, Off Topic, No True Scotsman, Citation Needed, blah blah blah . . .

I was all set to call BS, but the AC is correct:
http://www.usps.com/communications/news/press/2006/pr06_048.htm

Amtrak have to lease access to rail lines from freight haulers. They own very little track themselves (Northeast corridor and a couple of others, according to teh wiki).

* Law enforcement is overrated. Jails too. Gangs and other forms of organized crime can keep the peace just fine. * I'm thinking the roads in my State are too well maintained too. * I haven't seen any fires in my neighborhood, so get rid of the Fire Department. * Sewage systems and trash pick-up are over-rated too. There you go, lower taxes. Enjoy your crime-riddled, trash-stinking utopia.

Apologies for picking nits, but I live in upstate NY and our garbage collection is privately owned. It works quite well, thank you.

BTW, you just illustrated exactly what the GP was talking about - cherry-picking the most basic government services as emotionally-charged poster children for why government "can't possibly" be reduced.