First sentence seems stilted at best.

Who needs "chux'o'liberty" when the Security Theater is lax enough to permit 12" steel razor blades on a flight?

" But with Marvel squeezing out films..."

I think you mean *Disney* squeezing out films; considering they bought Marvel in 2009 for an epic [at the time] $4BN US.

IMO, the Kingdom of the Perpetual Mickey should be viewed as pop culture's Microsoft. They really seem to have traded "You can design and create" for "Embrace and extend", as their core business strategy.

If he'd picked up the phone, would it have been the last thing he'd have done as a free man before he disappeared into the black rendition gulag?

Lamest.excuse.ever.

Institute something modeled after the standard non-compete clause used by industry; except it would prevent any individual from holding a government position which directly regulates, affects or promotes the same sector or type of business they left the private sector for, to become a public servant.

Conversely, once leaving public service, the individual would be enjoined from contacting officials on behalf of, promoting, lobbying or attempting to influence legislation for any business or industry, for a period of three years.

A perfect clause would prevent someone from taking a job in any industry, after lobbying on its behalf, for a period of five years.

Which would stop crap like this.

I think, as a taxpayer, I'd rather "waste" $100B+ over nearly 20 years than fritter away $1,484,318,908,882+ blowing people up in wars that started seven years later.

I'm degreed in the medical field, but found the tech world infinitely more exciting.

Also the fact that I could almost always resurrect my patients played a part in my decision to go with IT.

Or just be another black hole that taxpayer dollars funnel into?
[Think medical device fraud via Medicare/Medicaid that is STILL rampant]

If we can piece together any meaning from what's left after all the giant magic marker redactions.

So is this a pilot project, to see if it will fly here?

Speed limits are set artificially low for *actuarial* reasons.

Government and insurance are in partnership, it's just a case of "follow the money".

Particularly Wastebook, stand up and do the same.

I was concentrating more on exploratory endeavors, but you make a very valid point. Thanks for mentioning it.

Of your three examples, it seems to me the only real contender for a purely corporate endeavor is the Massachusetts Bay Company.

The Hudson's Bay Company, and the East India Company in particular, appear to be more quasi-governmental concerns, birthed by royal fiat, benefiting those in government who invested, allowing ample plausible deniability for inhumane actions against indigenous people and whose assets were eventually folded back into government.

Many major exploratory endeavors were subsidized:

Columbus, subsidized by Queen Isabella.

Louis and Clark, commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson and subsidized by the US government

The transcontinental railroad, subsidized by the US government via the Pacific Railroad Acts of 1862 and 1864.

The interstate highway system, which enabled US citizens to truly explore their own country was brought about through the US taxpayer at the behest of Dwight D. Eisenhower.

NASA was subsidized.

The initial ventures into "cyberspace" came about through the direction of DARPA, an arm of government.

In fact, looking back, private industry hasn't really gotten involved until a clear profit potential was identified. So yeah, I'm going to have to side with Neil on this one.