Americans seem to have a gigantic blind

Randians and their complete lack of self-awareness.

They will blame non-government actors all day long for making and offering bribes.

So government is at fault for corporate bribes, corruption, and cronyism. Only on Planet Rand.

An exit of Greece from the Euro zone will have catastrophic consequences within Greece

Backwards. Staying on the Euro has done nothing but keep Greece in a worse state than the Great Depression while selling off their national assets. The costs of leaving the Eurozone are insignificant in comparison.

The benefits are Greece will be free to set its own exchange rates, making the country cheap for both tourists to visit and for exports to be, well, exported.

Lobbying doesn't immediately mean evil, you sophomoric children.

A system that runs on lobbying is by definition a corrupt system.

Can anyone name one reason why "traditional" government monopoly-licensed taxis are superior to Uber?

Anyone could, but you'd just ignore it again. Fans of Uber, nuclear power and GMO products are physiologically incapable of addressing straight criticism with a straight response.

Lobbying is how laws are changed, so it's what you do whether your goals are positive or negative.

Accounting isn't by nature negative. Accounting for Enron, cooking their books as Arthur Andersen did, is negative. So is lobbying for a parasitic company like Uber.

If you're cheering for the entrenched taxi services, you should know that taxi licenses do not protect you from any of the problems you think Uber causes.

Other than low insurance coverage and unprofessional drivers working for less than minimum wage after paying for gas and maintenance. You know, those aforementioned reasons that don't exist for Uberfans.

Taxi medallions create an artificially low supply of drivers. The price of these medallions is often hundreds of thousands of dollars. This lower supply of drivers also means higher prices for consumers.

....and taxi drivers who aren't working below minimum wage once gas and maintenance costs are paid for. Who have insurance that goes beyond $50k in coverage in case of an accident.

How is this different that if I get into an accident as a passenger in a friend's car?

Is your friend driving you around in a professional capacity?

here'syoursign

Unions had their place. It's in history now, just like the confederate flag. Unions need to die, they do nothing any longer other than make a few wallets fat (the few running the unions), a TON of people lazy (nearly all union workers), and they disrupt commerce and blah blah blah blah blah

Unions will be needed as long as greedy executives try to exploit labor. Any more concern trolling?

So the state cleaning it up is the solution instead of establishing a brand with a good reputation?

And when market consolidation means the regulation-free monopoly DGAF about it's reputation, passengers, pedestrians, or you?

in which they prevented hundreds if not thousands of others from profiting because they worked the system in such a way that guaranteed the laws of supply and demand didn't affect their business?

You mean, because these people actually work for a living? If they were ant-competitive vulture capitalists, then it would not just be okay, but the desired result.

Or you could pull your head out of Ayn Rand's zombified ass. Just a suggestion.

what international standards? saudi arabia? malaysia?

How about by Republican standards. Obama has gone far to the right of Reagan and both Bush's, and Hillary will be more of the same. You're smarter than an Obamabot, right? Ignore the words coming out of his mouth and pay attention to what he does.

If this was about Equality, than civil unions would be enough.

Except they aren't. Remember your grade school civics and that "separate but equal" is never actual equal?

Except for the fact that burglary is illegal, and the NSA et al have full legal authority to do what they do

Except for that whole 4th Amendment thing, and their job being limited to signals intelligence.

(read: Venezuela and the Mideast)

That will happen when the U.S. spends ten years or more overthrowing governments (or trying to), even if they are democratically elected.

Your naivety is touching.

Your tired apologia for Big Brother is nauseating.

Countries have spied on their supposed allies since spying was invented

England was tapping the entirety of French communications in 1900?

If you think this is new and unprecedented then its time you bought a ticket for the clue train.

If you think the Vatican having guards makes them equal to the U.S. military because they both have guns, sure.

Why can't a sister and a brother get all of these benefits, if they wanted?

Because most people aren't idiots.