If it makes you feel better, in the years since you left the process you're describing has become a major educational trend. And I agree it's an interesting model.

My Mom's been on Ubuntu for several years. She had an old Dell that was crawling on Windows, I put Linux on it and it was a much better experience for her. She's never looked back.

This is also a useful reminder from Lamar Alexander that Republicans are lying when they say they favor less government.

Although in fairness, in Philly you probably get shot either way.

It's not the funniest thing I've ever read around here, but it is actually a little funny.

That's why they won't hire him -- they know he's insane.

They shouldn't necessarily feel offended. I'm American and it doesn't offend me when people criticize the U.S. government. After all, I'm doing the same while it's still allowed.

That's one way you all are better. Another is decentralization of power. Americans now look to the federal government as their solution of first resort, which is a disaster for both pragmatic and libertarian reasons. It would be much, much better for individuals and families to do what they can for themselves, then turn to the community if that's not enough, and then to move up the ladder to the state level and federal government should it prove necessary.

Fortunately there are other countries that do not seem to be on this path, and the Empire has not yet instituted exit visas.

Well, unless you're on the "no fly list". Which you'd know if you were... right? Hmm.

There's really not much keeping your neighbor from doing that now. And there's nothing that would stop people in a libertarian society from choosing to cooperate to protect themselves from violence.

You mean, the problem that private currencies make it harder for politicians and bankers to steal from everyone?

That's okay. "Insightful" usually just means "I agree" anyway.

This is like living in a state that only has state-owned liquor stores and asking, "But without government, who will sell booze?"

Right, that's the whole point of this thing.

Obamacare is fascism, because that, cronyism, crony capitalism, oligarchism, and corporatism are more or less synonymous with the practice of mutual support between state policy makers and executives of preferred corporations. Considering that the individual mandate is a huge boon to health insurance corporations, Obamacare certainly qualifies.

But when the army nationalizes an industry, as in Phreakiture's example, that's not economic fascism, that's socialism. It's probably confusing because the right wing talk radio echo chamber has been shouting "Socialism!!!1!!1!!!" for the last five years for everything Obama does whether it's really socialism or not.