When you say, "recruiter," what do you mean? I get hit up constantly by places like Robert Half or TEKSystems, for the same few (local) jobs at places I don't want to work, for far less compensation than I am making now. I have told them I would consider something different, but it would have to be a move up, explain what "up" is, and then get fed crappy compensation values (ie. contract positions that have no/poor health insurance, no/poor PTO, no 401K). If a "real" recruiter were to contact me, I'd love to hear.

Personally, if my employer feels I need access to email or to be reached 24/7, it is their responsibility to provide the means for that. They do not have the right to takeover my personal property or data just because I work there. Put differently, if there is a business reason for them needing me to receive emails/texts/calls outside of normal working hours, then they should provide a business solution. If I want to do it for my own convenience on my own device, well, then I would have to weigh the convenience against all the privacy issues involved.

This. I just tried to argue this same point where I work; I work in an IT group that has a rotating 24x7 on call. We had employer-issued Blackberries, which both received SMS messages and could connect to email. Since we had had them for a while, the SMS alerts over time had evolved to "X has failed. Check your email for details." Then the company forced us to turn in our Blackberries and went to a BYOD. I tried, unsuccessfully, to argue your point. I get spotty coverage on my personal phone, and none in the building, so that would rule out my personal device. Plus I refuse to allow the company control of my device, stipend or no. The alternative was to accept a "penny phone" (a Samsung Chronos 2). I was very clear with my boss and boss' boss what that could mean for response to pages. So far, nothing has come up, but I also am kind of heistant to stray far from home when I am on call.

But here's what I don't understand - If the Eve program placed a bid at $24.99 for Alice's share, and it was accepted, why isn't that just a done deal, sold? Seems to me that if this was a real issue, right there is your fix. You get once chance at a bid. But since there are billions to be made by the people in control of the markets, I'm sure it's NOT an "issue."

The problem is that it is one thing for a concerned citizen to write their congressman and vote; but it takes someone who is really one in a million to run for office -- and it usually falls to the rich ones, not the righteous ones.

There. Fixed it for you.

But on a more serious note, it takes a large sum of cash to run for office these days. To garner enough to run for office, one either needs to be independently wealthy, or spend all of one's time raising donations rather than campaigning.

There is. It's called WAAS

I will plug Larry Niven's architectural coral, from "A Gift From Earth"