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>In all other aspects of our lives, we do not accept rules imposed upon us by a large private actor. There are courts, and appeals processes, and politicians, and other channels through which we can assert our societal norms.

Out of curiosity, where do you live?

Where I live, I accept that my phone will receive unsolicited robocalls and texts, and that the majority of mail delivered to my address is, similarly, unsolicited waste.

Where I live, I accept that the marketing efforts of a coalition of firearms manufacturers carries more weight than schools littered with dead children, a thousand unarmed people shot to death by police every year, thousands annually killed in domestic situations or on street shootouts. There's also, of course, the #1 cause of death by firearm: suicide.

Where I live, a large private actor repeatedly abused the legal system throughout his career, and through a particular quirk in our bizarre republican democracy, was elected to the highest office in the land after losing a popular election by millions of votes. He continued to break laws while in office, but was never held accountable, and the second time he lost a popular election, went on to break more laws, along with his cronies and a crowd of supporters... There are myriad reasons why this private actor should be in jail, but the government where I live has largely been gutted of any regulatory power.

More often than not where I live, you have one choice of broadband provider, provided by a large private actor, who often times has worked with politicians to outlaw choice.

Maybe you live somewhere else, but where I live, we are reaping what decades of aggressive pro-business anti-government action has sown.




I live in the UK.

Many of the things you mention are reasons why I would never consider making the US my permanent home.




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