>>>So how is it worse than losing job here for nothing?
>>
>>This is illegal and you have recourse in the courts.
>
>Sure, see the note about the lawyers. They are an international corporation sitting on millions of dollars, and I don't even have any proof that I've lost the job, no paperwork whatsoever. Just no salary anymore.
>

Why don't you have proof? Payment trail through a bank? Direct deposit? These should exist unless you were being paid cash under the table.

>And what about other cases, where you lose your job when the company just sinks? Or when they hire a new CEO who promises to cut the expenses by 15% and then does it by firing 15% of the workers? Or when the gang on the top just plays the company stock down, forces a downsizing just to play their agenda? Your John Q Worker must have done something really awful to deserve this.
>

You have options:
- Get a new job
- Start your own business
- Whine and moan about how unfair it is that businesses exist to make money instead of existing to provide you with a paycheck.

>>>Or losing your head just because you parked your car in the wrong neighborhood?
>
>>You could use your head and avoid the wrong neighborhood.
>
>There's something utterly wrong in the mere existence of such neighborhoods. And guess what: these didn't exist in socialist countries.
>

Really? There were no bad neighborhoods in the USSR or East Germany? Those riots in France took place in perfectly safe neighborhoods? China has no dangerous slums? Nor Cuba? Surely you jest.

>>>Of course everything wasn't fine, and we were just as free as anyone here. Just replace the number of things you couldn't do because of The Party with the number of things you can't do here because of The Corporations, and the score is pretty even.
>>
>>This is complete bull. What specifically are "The Corporations" preventing you from doing?
>
>The latest straw is the credit card companies refusing to send my money to my tobacco supplier. I can still buy cigarettes in the supermarket, but this limits my choice - I want to keep buying it directly from the inventors. But Discover, Mastercard, Visa and American Express seem to have some ideas what I can and what I can not do with my money.
>
Then don't use them. You have a multiple choices how to pay for things. You don't have to use a credit card.

>Let's see... a random list off the top of my head:
>- I can't choose which TV channels I will pay for. There's only packages, not a la cart.

You are buying a service, if you don't like the service then don't use it. Without the cable/satellite companies you wouldn't even have so many channels to choose from. Besides, I think al la carte is coming in the near future, thanx to internet competition.

>- I can't start my own cable service

Why not? Many communities have done it. I live 15 minutes from one in fact. Their service sucks and the channel selection is pathetic, but it is all theirs.

>- I can't start manufacturing of anything that's already manufactured by a big corporation; they'll price me out, or blackmail the retail chains into not buying from me (I've read of cases when this happened)

You could create a better/stronger/faster/more efficient version of a product and they won't be able to stop you. Just look at all the computer companies out there. If a "Corporation" was such a lock then we'd all be typing on IBM machines.

>- I can't start a bank which would not keep everyone's money for five "banking" days but rather keep it only for the ten seconds it takes to verify the transaction electronically

Untrue. Numerous online banks have popped up recently with instant verification. My bank hasn't put a hold on anything I've deposited in years.

>- If I complain about my boss, I get labeled as "not a good team worker" and I'm next to fly out when the next round of firing comes (didn't happen to me, happened to my team manager)
>

You are free to start your own business.

>> Are these the same "Corporations" which have led to the greatest scientific, medical and industrial advances in the history of mankind? Which corporate computer, ISP, and software are you using to compose your response?
>
>Internet wasn't invented by corporations, it was funded by tax money. And so was a lot of research. Last time I looked, the private sector produces only half of US's GNP.
>

The internet didn't become what it is until private industry got involved.

>My computer is not really mine - about half of it belongs to Microsoft.
>

You are free to choose other operating systems and software packages. You could even write your own if you wish.

>I use Open Source whenever I can, and I contribute as much as I can. If corporate software was such a good thing for the humankind, there'd never be a compelling reason to create open source in the first place.
>

People like choice. Most people don't mind paying for the software provided by software manufacturers. Others prefer open source. You have a choice.

>And don't get me started about medicine, in a country where there's no system

Of course there's a system. I pay for mine and you pay for yours. Simple and fair.

>and where there's nothing to stop Merck from repeating Vioxx.
>
Ummmm. Merck is going to take a HUGE financial hit (read billions) due to Vioxx. I'd say that's going to be quite an incintive to Merck, and others, to not repeat. Besides look at all the good things that have been achieved latetly.
Drugs : AIDS inhibitors, improved cancer drugs, cholesteral reducers
Surgery : Non invasive techniques verses previous open-heart, many more out-patient techniques
Research : DNA mapping, genetic advances, stem-cells

>>>Man, you can't even stand on the corner and chat with your friends for a couple of hours, because that's called loitering and someone will call the police.
>
>>Sure you can, we have parks and public areas as well, you just can't do it on private property. The property's owners have rights.
>
>OK, so if you happen to meet a friend and start talking, and another two come, and you begin an interesting dispute which may take an hour or two, you first need to see whether you're on private property? It's a street, a public place. The land belongs to the city, and city belongs to the people. Or am I fundamentally wrong? Is there some sort of regulation that forbids random encounters and chat, depending on where you meet?
>
Since streets are for cars I'll assume you're talking about sidewalks. As long as you're not standing in front of a business I believe you'd be fine.

Wouldn't you be more comfortable sitting on a park bench, or a table at a cafe if you're going to engage in an hours long discussion? How about a library? Or a bookstore? You have many choices.

>>>I find more similarity with Sloba's fuq-topia -
>>
>>>destruction of middle class,
>>
>>Alexander Deane might argue that this is not a bad thing
>>http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0907845975/sr=8-2/qid=1149785600/ref=sr_1_2/103-9005906-5031858?%5Fencoding=UTF8
>
>The blurb there doesn't say much about the argument, it's all about the current lack of definition.
>
>Doesn't change my argument that the middle are going down, regardless of definition.
>

The point was there is dissent as to whether a "shrinking middle class" is a bad thing. Also, who's to say its not just a cycle?

>>>inventing wars,
>>
>>War was brought to us.
>
>Nope, that was a terrorist attack. Which country attacked, which military units?
>

I already stated that state-sponsored terrorists are the equivilent of milatary troops.

>>>cronyism,
>>
>>I would say that all political systems partake in cronyism
>
>Not necessarily and not to the extent I've seen in these two cases. Replacing successful heads of departments or important government agencies with the guys who helped during the rise to power, no matter how incompetent, doesn't happen in these proportions just everywhere.
>

Loyalty is rewarded in all political systems. Loyalty to the individual, to the party, to the cause what have you.

>>>media control,
>>
>>Ever heard of the internet? The major media is becomming less influential.
>
>But still overwhelmingly influential. The trouble with the web is that you have to search, dig and sift, but when you buy a new machine you get ready links to... the same corporate media. So I figure a minuscule percentage of the populace is reading something different from what they're served by the TV.
>

My point is that there is more information available today than ever before. There will be even more tomorrow, thanks to the internet. More and more people are getting their news online specifically because the major media is not doing the job. I feel that when you work for something you appreciate it more. Here in America there used to be just three networks we could get news from, NBC, ABC and CBS. Now the major media is more diverse than ever before ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, PBS, CNN, MSNBC, FOXNEWS, BBC, Univision, Telemundo, NewsAsia etc... This doesn't include the newspapers or radio.

>>>Let's choose weapons - do you want a million percent inflation, or revocation of bankruptcy laws so you're in debt forever (unless you're a corporation, that is).
>>
>>Lets not forget that anyone can form a corporation. Its not like they are exclusive. The tax laws apply to everyone equally, you just need to learn them.
>
>I know, even I as a foreign citizen can form one (and may still do). But if I go bankrupt as a person, according to the latest law, I'll get into debt forever; if I do the same as a huge corporation, I may negotiate forever.
>

I highly recommend incorporating to anyone starting a business. Not doing so leaves your personal holdings open to business problems.

I do not think you understand our bankruptcy laws. If you file for bankruptcy you are declaring that you cannot pay all of your debts in full. You will legally work out a way to pay back as much as you can. You will not be in debt forever, in fact this is a last ditch way to avoid being in debt forever.

>As I once heard, if you owe some, you're in debt; if you owe a lot, you're a business partner ;).
>
"If you owe the bank $100 that's your problem. If you owe the bank $100 million, that's the bank's problem." - Not sure whom this is first credited

>>>And on TV you'll see a virtual reality where real issues never come up, any mass demonstrations against the regime are ignored or downplayed
>>
>>This is absolute crap. The major anti-war demonstrations were given wall-to-wall coverage on the cable news networks. The immigration rallies were given wall-to-wall coverage on the cable news networks. Heck even Cindy Sheehan's Camp Casey was given wall-to-wall coverage on the cable news networks. What planet are you living on?
>
>Earth, very close to the soil itself. What color was this wall-to-wall carpet?

What were you watching and/or reading? I was flipping through the stations and saw each cable news outlet had a helicopter and at least one reporter on the ground. All 3 major networks has reporters on site giving reports. All major papers in the country had reporters at each. News and talk radio covered them. Newsmagazies covered them. The local news teams from here in Sacramento even sent reporters to the Washington DC march and Camp Casey. Not to mention all the internet coverage by news sites, blogs and opinion sites.

>Speaking of Cindy Sheehan, I haven't heard more than ten seconds of what she had to say, it was all voice over. And then those who commented on her got minutes and minutes.
>

You're not trying. :)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cindy_Sheehan#Speeches
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cindy_Sheehan#Articles_by_Cindy_Sheehan

>I've seen this done over and over in Slobaland, I recognize the pattern.
>
>>> patriotism spinning and search for internal enemies never stops.
>>
>>I would say that all political systems partake in patriotism spinning and search for internal enemies.
>
>I've lived in only three countries so far, and one of them was the exception to this - for those two years in Hungary I haven't seen much of this. I'd be glad if our readers from other countries would chime in here, we need a larger sample.
>

Good idea. Anyone?

>Or should we just use a time machine and go back to previous administrations here?
>

There is no doubt that the American spin machines have been running since our inception. Even before as I've been reading during the revolutionary war and the propoganda that was spread by both sides.

>>>Iron hammer is physically instantiated as a lawyer much more expensive than your lawyer. You're equally disqualified.
>>>
>>
>>That's right no lawyer has ever won anything for the cause of good. Sheesh your world is depressing.
>
>Cynicism helps. Keeps you sane and somewhat distanced from the ugly reality :).
>
I was that was for many years. Particularily when I was at UC Berkeley. :)
I have changed thanks to several events in my life and I prefer an optimistic outlook especially when compared to how I used to be.

>This was such a nice country when I came, specially when compared with Slobaland I left. And then within a couple of years most of the symptoms appeared. I often wondered whether I brought them with me, or was it just my bad luck.
>
>Not that I'm complaining about my personal situation. I've lost a job four times here, but was always able to find the next one, and even now as an independent (for only two weeks :)

Congratulations on starting out on your own. Incorporate! ;)

>I'm able to stay afloat, keep my mortgage paid regularly.
>It's just my disappointment with what I see, compared with what I thought it would be (and what it was before the current regime took over).

I completely disagree, but you already knew that. :)