As with many things, you get out of it what you put in. All of these opportunities are still there, but if you don't choose to pursue them they won't pursue you.

College is a fantastic opportunity for learning, but it's not as strictly required anymore.

The constitution does not limit the freedom of the populace to do anything.

It gives the federal government specific powers, lists specific rights that the federal government is not allowed to infringe upon, and then specifically declares that anything not mentioned is a right reserved by the states and the people.

Of course, everyone just ignores the constitution these days. The federal government acts like it has unlimited power to do whatever it wants. And for the most part, the courts have agreed.

That reads a lot like a straw man. What does the size of data, ease of transfer, or convenience of copying have to do with paying someone for the work they have done? Music is just "data" now? How did we manage to listen to it before we had it in digital format?

What reform would you envision that made it acceptable? Personally, I'd like to see a 10 or 15 year limit on copyright lifespan. That would make it a lot more palettable than it is now, for me.

You don't have to try that hard.
NOAA's website accepts URLS of the form "weather.gov/zip" where "zip" is your zip code.
Save yourself some typing, be lazy!