Seriously, the entire point is so that they can keep prices high, if not higher: They don't like the competition from the used market driving the prices lower. They act like they're doing us all a favor when they want something. When they get it, it's "What? We're not running a charity here! Blah...blah...blah...free market..." Does anyone really think it was a coincidence that prices went up the moment the one-time-download-per-copy DLC that really should have been included already crap hit the scene?

It's like the neighborhood junkie that tells you if you just bail his ass out one more time, he'll clean up. Of course what he really does is take anything you give him and convert it into what he's jonesing for. And, you're just a sucker that got schooled.

"Since all combat seems to be heading this way anyway, one might as well just say: Drones. Due to the light speed delay, they'd have to be much more automated, but again, we're headed that way anyway. Carrying around a person and a life support system is a *huge* mass and complexity penalty." ...not to mention the effects of long duration high-g maneuvering. It would be rather difficult to survive the abnormally high accelerations, especially considering the zig-zaging needed to avoid incoming near or at c weapons fire. You can build a drone that can handle it, however.

The disadvantage, though, is you need a C & C relatively nearby that can handle what the automated programming cannot and to issue general orders, probably a carrier if an outpost and refueling dock is unavailable.

Challenge accepted...

#1 I was not aware that only the technically adept were allowed to be whistle-blowers The people that are likely not to know how to get a document out digitally are the ones that will print the thing out..

#2 Lets say you print out your tax forms on a printer registered to you in the Bahamas, but the form only lists your assets as being in Florida. Now you have an audit for using a branch office printer to print off your taxes. And, oh, hey look, the TSA does not have a record of you leaving and re-entering the country around that date! Suspicious...

#3 The raging bitch queen and his/her shyster lawyer discovers that the printer that some of your statements and offers are printed on happens to be at a house occupied by a member of the opposite sex not related to you. Oh, shit!

Stupid people love tyrants: They give stupid people someone else to blame for the results of their stupid decisions.

Because no one in this country gives a fuck about corruption unless cum is involved.

You are forgetting one of the 10 commandments of propaganda: If you repeat it enough times, people will believe it is true.

And, as a bonus, you'll slowly drive anyone that actually has some grasp of the truth slowly bat-shit crazy thanks to the gas lighting effect; which makes them, and therefor their position, unattractive.

People tend to project upon others the same impulses and motivations they themselves hold. So, when they see someone doing something that they themselves would do as a prerequisite for some behavior, they assume that the other person is doing it for that very result. So, it is possible. Maybe he secretly wants to have a big gay family orgy or something.

However, human behavior is not so simple as to assume the above to be true. For instance, people who have suffered trauma often assume that a prerequisite event associated with prior trauma heralds an imminent re-occurrence. Some people just have a weird way of thinking. Some people just like to screw with other people's hearts and minds. Etc...

In my amateur opinion, I would say it ups the chances off average, though.

Japan will continue to use nuclear plants after 40 years after some political/financial lubrication and rubber stamping a safety report, just like every other first world nation with old plants in the news lately.

War is peace; Freedom is slavery, etc...

Mmm...chocolate rations...

The fed actually pays pretty well for most of their IT and engineering jobs. Have a look on usajobs.gov if you think otherwise. The problem is, they almost all require TS/SCI, which is neither cheap nor easy to get. Also, if you are "inside the beltway" near DC, the commutes to the suburbs can soak 2 to 3 hours each way even if you live near mass transit. Living in DC on budget is, uh, iffy. Don't get lost.

The contractors are a mixed bag. Even though the companies often gets paid more for the positions than they would otherwise cost overall, the employees frequently end up either underpaid or are on contract terms that are not renewed and lack benefits.

They just bugger some of us up the arse every so often, since that seems to be how we learn to pick, acknowledge, and accept leadership.

...but not always. I was stuck in an area where IT demand crashed post Dot Bomb. The few IT positions available paid so little that frequently Walmart paid more. So, I took a job as a trucker and used it as an opportunity to scout out and network outside of my area. A year later, I was back on track in an IT position that paid over twice as much as the positions back at my prior home.

And, on the plus side, if the IT market tanks again, I have a fall-back that pays more that minimum wage, something of a rarity these days. Being flexible and improvising can be an asset. In fact, it can literally save your life. Just be careful you do not supplant one rut for another.

And, I will just simply say that just because life > career does not mean career = job.

#1 "Works" because a) The worse you feel during, the stronger the sense of relief when it is over. People want to feel better. b) It makes you feel like you are in control and are doing something about it. People want to feel in control of their fate. c) It plays into the common-sense "No pain, no gain!" meme. People want to feel like they triumphed over adversity through hard work and/or suffering.

#2 Just helps reinforce #1 with an additional "I don't want to feel stupid; so, I want to believe it's true!" dissonance response. As someone said, "If you can't dazzle 'em with brilliance, baffle 'em with bullshit."

Of course! The solution for every problem is to remind people that it could be worse; therefore, they should just shut up and take it. /SARCASM

Why not both? ...and more?

Seriously, the homicidal ones are a relatively small percentage of the actual APD population. It is just a larger proportion of that population than murderers in general are in the general population. Most that want people to die seem to settle on provoking reckless or suicidal behavior in others, and frequently indirectly at that. Think of it as the ultimate troll. None of that messy legal stuff happens if someone blows their own brains out or hugs a tree at 100 mph. Heck, the general consensus on such matters is usually along the lines of "He/she should have just shut up and taken it."