You can do business with Americans. You just have to make sure they come to you (outside the USA). Its done all the time. And if one can set up a foreign entity withot a clear trail of ownership back to the US company, itis legally beyond the reach of the DoJ.

So now all you have to deal with is NSA snooping and possibly a CIA assasination.

Not a good idea, IMO.

OK. So there are actually 51 shades of gray.

And give the hobos at the off-ramps NFC scanners to recieve hand-outs.

Have your Australian and New Zealand banks started their FATCA compliance reporting yet? You are ether a non-US person, very wealthy so as to make the trouble worth it to them, or they'll be closing your accounts soon.

They seemed to like the Sacagawea dollar. When they first came out, people were ordering rolls of them at the bank. But then when the banks started re-rolling used dollar coins, they'd start slipping Susan B Anthony dollars into the rolls. That killed the dollar coin.

Nobody likes confusing SB Anthony dollars with quarters, which is a good part of the reason they never caught on. But the banks (the Fed?) appears to be stuck with them and the mints won't recall them. So, no dollar coins for us.

The helicopters hovering over my house.

What's the life of the kid on the bicycle that you are about to run over worth? You carry insurance (or otherwise demonstrate financial responsibility) to cover damage that you might do to others.

We've got to get this news to Central America. They are sending their kids up to the USA for free.

I'm sure the guys who made off with 20 tons of copper wire could be persuaded to write a positive piece about Carrasco.

It's smart enough to know its limits. It tells time and leaves the other stuff to other gadgets.

But this isn't a case of a commercial exception. Commercial aircraft operators are subject to far more stringent regulations than private/recreational*. And that's fine, particularly for passenger carriers. For the public on the ground, I want the regulations to treat commercial and private safety equally. I'm not going to be happier if some billionaire drops his personal 737 on my house than if it was Southwest Airlines. On the other hand, once a drone operator 'goes comercial', I would expect them to carry liability insurance and have deep pockets to protect. As a result, I'd be more comfortable with a business operated drone than a hobby flyer over my house.

This is just like Uber and Lyft vs New York City. The entrenched cab interests have one way of doing things and they are using their regulatory agency to block new technology. The same appears to be happening for flight serice companies. Piloted aircraft for hire are having the FAA protect their turf.

*The general aviation manufacturing business almost went under in this country until legislation was passed to limit their liability. That runs counter to the idea that there is an atmosphere of business exception in this country.

Our energy supply is still at the mercy of those damned Arabs!

Maybe. But then perhaps its time for Congress to rewrite the mandate and take the commercial/hobby distinction out.

Leave them with the safety and certification roles. But the operation of drones needs to be consistent across all uses. Something isn't more or less safe if money changes hands. We (the USA) are going to be left behind as other jurisdictions allow commercial drone use, subject to rules compliance. Commercial use brings money into the industry, which pays for R&D and the refinement of safety rules. US manufacturers don't have the ability to participate in this, leaving the business to foreign concerns. That is definitely NOT the FAA's charter.

Because historically, the response to unfettered competition in New York City involved bodies floating in the East River. Either the city 'manages' the market using regulation or Vinnie and Guido do it with steel pipes.