I can see how, from your surroundings, you might think consensus is a joke but I assure you; it does exist.
Oh, I know it exists, but it ends up being something different for everyone. For some, it's winner take all. For others, it's the lesser of the two evils. For others, it's "I just got shat on, but I guess it could be worse." And yet for others, even though usually the minority, it's "I got shat on, and it can't be much worse."
Consensus just gives a majority of the people something tolerable. There are, unfortunately, no real great ways to give everyone what they want.
Gee, thanks... that's not a backhanded compliment at all...
I mean, kinda. What I am trying to say is: Yes, you are are obviously intelligent, but, at least on this topic, your thoughts are a tad disorganized.
I'd love to have given you a short concise plan detailing precisely what to do but I kind of didn't want this to be a dictatorship. I had an idea that, despite my many qualities, I could not possibly flesh out on my own and so I opened it up for debate in this, what's it called? oh right, a forum. I don't believe anything like this had been done before so there is no plan or guide to follow.
However, even in congress, often times a bill that is nearly complete and vote ready is what goes before the congressmen. However, it rarely stays in that state. It's nearly always hashed out and reworked. Changing, often, a lot of things that the original author wanted kept. If you were to give a detailed and concise plan as to what you wanted, you would actually get more feedback and ideas from others. Then, you incorporate what they think should change, or you debate why it shouldn't be changed. At least that's how it usually works.
Y'know, we don't really learn it in school but I wonder how long it took to draft your Constitution. They hammer that out in an afternoon? It was all Jefferson, right? He was always the rock star.
Actually, the United States Constitution took 21 days to draft, hash out, and sign by the Constitutional Convention. They appointed 5 people to draft the document, not one of which was Thomas Jefferson. Of course, it took one month before that for all of the delegates from all the states to trickle into the convention and eventually compromise on the issues presented by the "Nationalists" and the "Patriots." So, if you count from start of the convention to the signing, it was 53 days for completion. Of course it took almost a year for all the states to accept, or "ratify", it.
Anyway, now you know.
Is it so terrible to want some manner of harnessing the power of the consumer for protection from these massive corporations that can't be fought and can get away with anything?
No, it's not terrible for wanting power over someone else's actions. Unless of course you're a company... Then it's really, really, really bad to want power over someone else. See the double standard?
Also, I have no desire to get the government involved.
As for their right to privacy, I was all for it until they came in and intervened in my personal life and ripped a hole in my soul. So they've forfeited that on this issue.
They offered something for 8 years. Then, becuase they thought it would make them more money in some way, they took it away. They did not force you to get hooked on it. They did not make you buy it. They did not steal your money. They simply stopped offering a service. Again, don't get me wrong. I hate what they did too and they played bad cards from the get go. Never advertising, denying Paragon Studios, etc. But, just as you have the right to own a company, make a product, and then discontinue that product, they too have that right.
No matter how long it takes, one way or another, if I can't have the only thing I have wanted with every fibre of my being for every single second since 4:08pm thursday, march 24th, 2011, then NCSoft is going to tell me precisely why. There is no argument on that and there isn't a thing that will stand in my way. Perhaps you cannot fight NCSoft, but I am going to and while I'm there I'll see what I can do about getting CoH released from their prison closet. City of Heroes is something that deserves to reach its conclusion.
I admire your passion and if you have the will to see your desires through, then I admire you even more. I just have two problems with what you want. I don't want to see the government get involved, and I don't really care why they did what they did. Their reasons, real or imagined, will not help me at all. I just want my game back.
Oh and I hate to break it to you but it is not your government that has too much power. It's the only two parties your peeps vote for and the lobbies that back them that have entirely WAY too much power.
I can tell that you are not from the US. Not only is that evident from the fact that you continually call it "your government" referring to me, but also from the fact that you think it needs to be stronger. Your next point proves mine.
It's fairly evident there's a problem when a Congressman has the ability to insert an amendment drafted by the National Rifle Association into an unrelated spending bill in order to effectively cripple your Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The fact that government can give rights and take them away (but mostly take them away) is the evidence that they have too much power. This group, the NRA, that you speak of is NOT government and is in fact a group of private citizens. But if you notice... they still had to go through the government. I think that a collective group of private citizens should have more power than the people who are governing over them. There are more constituents than people in the government. We vote for them and give them their power. But why should we give up so much of it? My guess is becuase people are lazy and simply don't want the responsibility of taking care of themselves.... But you're right about this...
That's probably best left to another forum though.
