Have you ever seen "Wings of Desire" (der Himmel über Berlin)? for anyone who's paranoid about "surveillance states" it's an eye-opener, about how things really work: about how overseers and spiritual beings really may perceive human activity, and if you really think about it, perhaps there is good that can come from this.

There's this insidious HN tendency to believe that "The Government" (whatever that means) is 100% malicious and Out To Get Us. The reality is far more nuanced, my friend. if "The Government" was truly out to get so many people, they would get them, and society wouldn't actually functoin. "The Government" wants people to work, and raise children and stimulate the economy; The Government likes when people are abled and working/supporting others, and paying taxes, and HNers seem to think "The Government" wants to perpetually interfere and intervene and trip us up. Just reading HN and /. and the other paranoia boards, I'd think that there are swat teams on every corner and black helicopters pouncing on every third hacker on a weekly basis, man.

The crazy thing is that this administration in the USA is gutting governmental apparatus, makign a "small government" and "drainining the swamp" that leftists love to hate on, but honestly a "smaller government" definitely for sure won't have enough ability to screw with the common man like y'all believe it would.

Sure, gov't can privatize a lot of stuff like handing over to Flock, but still, Flock's aligned with them, and (see Wings of Desire again) this is not malice and not naked malevolence. Sorry.