This is the US, the land of less is more, and it definitely applies to the greater part of the stuff at the `dollar` stores. Many of the products are just smaller and effectively more expensive or worse versions of what you can buy at Walmart at a better overall value. For example, at the dollar store you'll pay $1.25 for a single ball point pen and at Walmart it will be 5 of the same basic pen for $5. People don't really do math or shop around as they think that they can get what they need at the dollar store for the least amount of money, and while in one way that is correct, they are still often over paying.

If AI is adopted by the Pentagon, which it certainly has (see Palantir, etc.) then they will rescue their contractors if need be. Usually they don't have too since the contracts are usually good enough to keep suppliers afloat, but if the market fallout is bad enough that it will hamper the overall execution of what they need, they will open the purse strings (see Intel)

Yes, it does take away freedom of opinion. The system that assigns these credentials can always be corrupt, and usually is. Any gatekeepers of knowledge can and usually do become corrupt, either for power or money.

Gatekeeping, even by 'professionals' is still gatekeeping. This would also block people who were victims of malfeasance from speaking on these topics. There are no qualifications that are perfect and incorruptible to be trusted with this power. These ideas create a monopoly of thinking and are always more dangerous than they are beneficial. You say tens of thousands? When these systems go wrong it can kill hundreds of thousands. See Lysenkoism.

I've chosen not to live in complexes that had these deals, especially when they were the worse choice in the area for providers.

These articles and press releases really need to stay away from such hyperbolic statements. Facts are that the Earth has been both much warmer and much colder than it is now, and many ecosystems have both emerged and disappeared routinely over the millennia. Sure, we've screwed up some of them, but the fear mongering needs to stop.

Funny enough, you left out a few other factors. Mainly that the Japanese are far healthier on average than the average Floridian (just look up rates on obesity, heart disease, etc.) Of course, you would not bring that up because people didn't really die from covid itself, but instead comorbidities that would also factor in if they caught any other similar disease.

So, pray tell, what exactly did these trolls spread that actually killed people?

First, we would spoil a lot of presents if we shared account credentials :D
Second, because of how the feature has changed over time, her account wasn't 'upgraded' to the top level that they defined when they first redid the system. She got all the benefits still. Now, as part of this newest shakeup, they determined her account to be invalid and ending the membership for it. Her brother's account, because I added it later in the newer system, was labeled as the full featured adult account. Last time I tried to change this they wanted to charge me money, a whole new membership worth to change it, but I didn't push it as she had the benefits still.

I added my wife to my plan when they first allowed you to do so, long before all of the added on services like streaming. Later they redid it and called the plan the Family plan, and allowed me to add another family member, which I did, but at that time I couldn't change my wife's standing in the plan, and didn't need to since it just worked. Now as part of this they sent her an email saying her account is no longer valid, and it will be disabled in October. So, now I have to kick the other family member off the plan (her brother) off my plan to keep my wife on Prime. Quite silly.

Largely it is taxes. Entrepreneurs tend to move to the US and build their ideas here because the barriers and costs are lower, as well as greater return on their ideas if they succeed.

How long until we can play Doom on it?

badum ching

That's like cutting off your leg to fix an ingrown toenail. To my EU friends, don't go down this path. Don't let this fear mongering on your own side trick you into accepting this non-solution. CBDCs give the banks and the governments control over everything. Develop your own credit/debit systems if you must, but never fully centralized digital currency.

Data? That's not what spy agencies are up to. They are about hunting down sources and clues. They won't share their sources, for obvious reasons.