I'm a die hard free market capitalist and I have to say you are clueless. If legit software can't provide value beyond what is freely available, it deserves to fade away. This is even more true for legit hardware -- whatever that is...

Cold _January_ weather was one of many contributing factors to the Challenger accident -- but not the only factor.

Business is better than government for one simple reason: business funds itself without confiscating its funding via taxes.

Or, just avoid credit cards completely.

"Social services and safety nets aren't about coddling the lazy..."

Except they are.

"...even the richest, most self-centered elitist in the country will save a ton of money with single payer..."

Except they won't. Worse, such a system will dismantle the cutting edge medical system we have in place today.

Welfare programs don't increase the middle class, they contract it. Worse, they lead people to abdicate responsibility for their own happiness and well-being -- believing that the government will ultimately provide for them. See also people on roofs during Katrina.

I understand your point, and it is a good one.

However, if we woke up one day, and said -- "everything not in is out," we'd be one short amendment process away from adding things like the Air Force back into the Constitution. Clearly the founding fathers intended for the federal government to provide a national defense. They did not intend, I believe, to provide a national welfare state.

Anything not explicitly listed in the Constitution should not be performed by the federal government. So yes, I will rail.

Two wrongs don't make a right. So we should just ignore the entire 10th Amendment and the principles of a limited federal government?

For the record, I'd happily do away with Social Security.

PS: The Air Force was actually formed as part of the Army.

The 10th Amendment to the US Constitution:

"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."

This is often referred to as "States' Rights."

Teaching federal biology isn't in the US Constitution. Teaching Kansas biology is.

I don't support teaching creationism, but Kansans should be able to decide what gets taught in Kansas - not the federal government.

Free markets.

I wish our debt was only $8 trillion.... Try $12 trillion -- and that's before unfunded obligations are included.

"And lastly, with everyone complaining about how the government wastes money, do you really expect that it would be better for NASA to contract out development, design, testing and building of anything?"

There. Fixed that for you.

"...stuff that's valuable to humanity, but costs a lot of money and isn't expected to make a profit."

You have a very strange definition of value. Not surprisingly, you use it when you are spending other people's money.