The tax raise can be dealt with in several ways or a combination of all:
1) decrease outgoings (cost of raw materials, cost of staff)
2) decrease outgoings (dividends to shareholders)
3) increase incomings (raise prices).

Where there is a monopoly (or similar types of market failure such as oligopoly) most of the tax raise will be dealt with by 3).

If there is a competitive market then the tax raise will fall somewhat on 1) and 2) as well.

This is one reason that breaking up monopolies is so important.

How does the test distinguish between use and abuse? A certainly level of cocaine usage is arguably not abuse.

If these computers are within a secured network and particularly if they don't have access to the internet, then there isn't any great risk in continuing to use these XP machines.

At the moment politicians serve almost exclusively those who choose to donate large sums of money. That's honestly not a better situation than your alternative, even if it came to pass as you describe.

I totally agree we need pollution tax. However we have to be careful with its introduction as you may introduce a competitive disadvantage for your businesses. So the tax needs to fall on both domestic and foreign business (for example be applied at the point of sale).

The dependence on campaign funding negates the idea that everybody has one vote and each vote is as important as the other.

Forward secrecy is desirable as we see the NSA hoover up messages then store them until they crack the keys.

Has anybody attempted to bolt forward secrecy on top of SMTP? I would assume that it would need some kind of session key exchange between sender and recipient which would preclude the use of SMTP.

Writing an OS kernel is very tough work

Writing a shell is very tough work

Writing a graphics driver is very tough work

Developing a package management infrastructure and packaging a large number of programmes is very tough work

Developing a compiler is very tough work.

I maintain that elementary OS have contributed no more than 1% of the effort of their distribution.

I am not saying that elementary don't deserve money, but that they should get to the back of the queue and they absolutely should not demand money for other people's work.

Elementary OS' contribution to their own distribution is probably less than 1%. Almost all the effort into writing and packaging the software has been carried out by others. They are standing on the shoulders of giants. Why the fuck should they demand money for other people's work? It is disrespectful to call people cheaters, when they are grabbing money in exchange for other people's work! If anything, that is cheating. Elementary OS are so entitled its untrue.