As a Canadian myself, i the same amount of social security tax at work (TN Visa); however, if I get laid off, I do not receive the same benefit as everybody else, who paid social security tax.
That's because if an American gets laid off they don't receive social security as a "benefit", they receive unemployment compensation which is completely different.
"subjecting the stranded visitors to the very human condition of greed, fear, and exploitation."
Considering no one has ever met an alien from another world before, I don't see how these "conditions" can be attributed to humans alone. As far as any of us know greed, fear and exploitation could be the three most common things in the universe.
And, apple charges a lot for their computers. So? So go buy a Dell or something. The beginning and end of the whole wonky argument is that you want to run OS X and you want to pay exactly what you feel like paying to do so. That is precisely *not* how capitalism works.
Who said anything about wanting to run OS X? I don't, never said I did. My whole argument was that I don't HAVE to run OS X and can CHOOSE not to because it is within my right to do so and run something else for cheaper. That is precisely HOW capitalism works. I can go buy a Psystar computer tomorrow and put windows or linux on it no problem. I may choose to do that, just to stick it to Apple. By NOT putting OS X on it I stick it to them even further by not buying their OS at all and still fund the company they are suing. Just as its within my rights to demand fair pricing for the products I buy, its within apple's rights to charge whatever they want. In so doing all they do is hurt themselves because people who demand a fair price will not buy their product and go elsewhere. Anyone can run their own business how they want, it just so happens that Apple has decided to do it stupidly. Good for them.
Eureka! -- Archimedes