The public hospital I work for in texas didn't pay time and a half for hours over 40 in a week for more than 10 years for RN's. And if we stayed late less than 1 hour they edited our time cards and paid nothing. Because of the nature of the job and the disorganized work environment many hours of overtime a week were compulsory in many areas .The US wage and hour laws are trumped by texas law. The US departrment of labor has little clout in texas when it comes to big organizations. And yet if you tell virtually any of the texas born RN's (yes, wages were suppresed by the importation of large numbers of foreign born RN's { and it's not a work quality issue the foreign RN's on average are just as competent as the US RN's on average}) that we would not have been cheated if we had a union; the texas born RNs will recoil in horror as they recount lines from Reagan's little red, white, and blue book about problems with unions. Blue states fight to stay Blue, once people become indoctrinated with anti-union paradigm turning back is very difficult.

Palindromedary ~ What you read about UEFI is probably absolutely correct. It stands to reason with all the other trends in the electronic industry that I have observed lately. All under the guise of "security." Security, my interface! My suspicion is that this trend is to squeeze all possible profits out of everyone from the end user to the retailer. Other trends you might be interested in are matching chip signatures on peripheral PCB boards to signatures on chips on the main board. Those signatures usually contain either counter information or serial numbers, or most likely both. During the boot up sequence the main PCB does a handshake to all the peripherals. If the info doesn't match, the boot up stops with an error. In essence, these steps makes upgrades and repairs with anything other than factory preset hardware impossible. It used to be, for a while at least, that such signatures were married at first boot up. Replacing one peripheral at a time resolved the problem. More and more the trend is to permanently burn those signatures onto the peripherals; which, makes parts in used machines 100% worthless.

The latest of the latest factory innovation in such equipment that really sticks in my craw is putting the same signatures in HDD's. Before, when an HDD crapped out one could simply replace it with a generic over-the-counter compatible, partition and format it, reload the firmware, and be on with your merry way. Now, you need "officially authorized" firmware that requires special formatting, settings of security protocols and initializing sequences to activate the system. The rub is, if you do anything wrong or out of sequence, you risk damaging the main PCB and destroying the equipment. You can only get the instructions for the procedure from the manufacturers web site. So much for non-authorized people making a buck on the side.

Some manufacturers load all that stuff in the factory. If you need to replace such an HDD you can only get one that works--already preloaded and ready to go--from the manufacturer. Guess what! That HDD will cost you 10 X's as much as one from Fry's. Oh wait, you say you're not an authorized dealer? Well that price either just jumped up even higher; or, that part isn't available. I've seen cases where such nefarious manufacturers sell cheap equipment but then sell replacement parts over priced at near the cost of the equipment. I also know that with the same manufacturer and the same equipment different parts lists are distributed to different counties. That's right. Depending on where you live you can purchase either individual parts or only entire assemblies. I call that, disposable equipment; or, a huge rip off. On a side note... There is one US manufacturer who screws all US customers by limiting access to cheap parts; but, makes cheap parts available everywhere else in the world. I won't state their name, but, they are world famous and their name begins and ends with an "X."

All these measures might look fine on paper, prevent unwarranted access, and protect manufacturer profits; however, there are unintended consequences. RAM info on chips and signatures on HDD's, SSD's, peripherals, and even main boards are vulnerable to a wide variety of environmental interference. Everything from sun spots, to transformer and line surges and internal HV (high voltage) arcing can tweak the stored information in any of these parts. These accidental consequences are the only real threats that I have seen so far. They are natural, occur frequently, and when they do they take down the entire device. Depending on an IT environment, they can even bring down the entire network. To a technician they represent an easy and profitable service call. To the clients they represent a huge, expensive, and unnecessary pain in the butt. I often wonder how long manufacturers can compete putting profit above customer satisfaction. Personally, I think when someone comes out with more reliable systems the customers will flock to it simply to avoid high maintenance costs and downtime.

In my humble opinion, this trend is only going to get worse before it gets better. After all, profit motive aside, the companies have to compete against each other to survive. With the advent of SSD's I can only imagine that the same tactics will be used--not only to make repairs and upgrades with aftermarket replacements impossible, but also to preload a plethora of marketing and spyware that there is nothing anyone can do about. My advice is to keep your vintage equipment in good shape as long as you can; and, do all your private tasks on them. The technology of the future promises to be a Pandora's box full of an unnavigable, unnecessary webs of security, spyware, and profit. Let the buyer beware.

richinfolsom ~ Very well said!

Good day to you,

It is self-evident that the U.S.A. is no longer operating under the promises our American Constitution demands. It will be necessary to generate a filter (human/program) that inspects all agents, agencies and policies operating under the umbrella of America. It is vital to eliminate those parts which are content or designed to perpetuate the corruption which is destroying all pretense of America as a team of equals. All, from those who volunteered to represent our wellfare, those who volunteered to protect us from the unjustice of others, to those who volunteered to secure the opportunities found through freewill and knowlege, have failed to be good to their words. We need to know these people by name and deeds. We need to generate an evolution of America based upon the beliefs of liberty, equity and justice for all. We are all part of the same team and deserve the same measure of respect and to benefit equally from the teamwork we have helped to produce. "Give me liberty or give me death.", Thomas Jefferson; is the rebel cry of every human. Peace, love & happiness. Melissa

Struck a chord!<p>The origins of capitalism run deep in the psyche and has long been used interchangeably by politicians and bankers in support of their self serving ideologies - especially how they argue for personal wealth and power. The mass marketing machine is built on three tenants, each of which serves a positive need, and each fail to meet the fulfillment of it's inherit promise. The mass marketing and execution of capitalism, religion, and politics. </p> <p>We are assured that capitalism by its very nature is the answer to man kinds needs, building as Ronald Reagan often said, the shining city on the top of the hill. Imperially, unchecked capitalism has never ended all poverty, fed all the hungry, or solved healthcare for all. It rises and falls in cycles of painful destitution, such as the crash of 1929. </p> <p>The message of capitalism is the promise of mis-truths and falsehoods, pretenses developed by psychologists based on advertising research, sometimes measuring a viewer's brain waves. The draw and effectives of the advertisement cannot be denied and is predictable as Pavlov's dog. We live in a world - perhaps our very interpretation of life - is predicated on mass marketing. The pervasiveness and intrusion of commercialism has created an illusion of society centered around the expectations of capitalism. </p><p> The concept of "community" has dramatically changed from gathering in the city square to Facebook and Twitter. The homogenized "issues" of the day are published through commercialized information sources and weighed in their importance by real time clicks. The carefully constructed algorithms provide immediate feedback to the advertiser as they compete for advertising value with other mega companies. News is converted from important but boring congressional legislation to simple minded stories about the thoughts a hillbilly type tv show character on Duck Dynasty. </p> <p>With the advent of instant communication and a smart phone on hand we have seemingly lost our connection with understanding how we are interconnected. We were taught by commercials that "stuff is good," and the cheaper, the better. Commercialism - the process of being indoctrinated by commercials - justifies self and personal gratification over the well being of community.</p><p> Humanity is at a pivotal juncture as we live our lives bombarded by commercialism while the machine devours our soul. Tis this the best we can do?</p>

"Chuckle", I can't answer your question without knowing specifically what you're responding to. That was a long post, even by my standards. - AIW

This battle has been on going since the beginning of mans life on earth. The founding Fathers came up with the perfect solution. So they thought. I do not think they factored Human nature or greed into their equation. A better way for a better place for the people to have, life liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Over the life of their grand experiment. Greed has been at the forefront of over taking their vision.
In the past it seems their vision has prevailed. But greed has gained in each battle until now. Greed has total control. Corrupting the entire system. I see vision fighting a losing battle at this point in our history. Greed is now speeding it's tentacles throughout the world. Uniting the greedy into a full frontal attack against all that is good for mankind. To a point of what is good for the few. I believe the Nordic nations are the last frontier. Even though France it seems has had an epiphany...
The answer is there for all to see. It has been since the beginning. You cannot place the good of the world in the hands of profit. Profit will not tolerate rules, Morals, Gods, or anything that gets in its way.
Cash is speech and cash speaks louder than any entity on earth. With cash in conjunction with human nature greed, all is possible .I know the answer and I’m sure I’m not the only one. The question is how do we fight speech that is so loud and getting louder nothing else can be heard?

Is there no way to boot at least one of the GOP hacks off the Supreme Court before President Obama's term is up? Citizens United has GOT to go. My choice would be either Thomas or Scalia -- preferably both.

Wow Thom, very well said!

Putting profit at all costs ahead of the general welfare of humanity is the ugly truth behind under-regulated capitalism. I agree there is a place for supply and demand profit, but there also remains areas where profit is totally inappropriate. These sectors include, education, energy, and healthcare. The Affordable Health Insurance Act although well intentioned is still enriching private for profit insurance companies at a cost we can no longer afford. Corp. billionaires like the Koch's are killing the planet thanks to their private for profit control of energy, not to mention the associated wars for profit. Private for profit education is teaching mythology as science and worse. A non profit system for these sectors is the answer, an answer much of the rest of the world already greatly benefits from.

The lazy capitalist always loves privatization, it means massive profit for himself while union busting and low wages for his hard working victims. Wealth flows to the top!

Truth is, at about $70,000 per year max happiness is reached. Unable to obtain this wisdom, a few carry the obsessive pursuit of money and power to a point at which the resulting collateral damage to society is unacceptable. It's at this point, if the few out of control citizens don't get professional help, we the people are forced to legislate wisdom to temper their out of control compulsions of greed. Pre Reagan tax rates would be one way to circulate the stolen wealth back into society. It may well be that some of these billionaires come from inferior gene pools where mental illness is common, but we as a society are obligated to step in and do an intervention.

AIW -- A couple of things. When Haiti suffered its earthquake, I remember Bill C realizing that the support he gave to Arkansas farmers was a significant contributor to the desolation in Haiti.

Secondly, when you speak of the current culture be sure where you look. When progressive ideas are floated in polls, often 70% of the people agree with them. One I recall is the progressive budget that the senate came up with. Where is the disconnect?

D.A.M. -- All the taxes of which you speak should be continually reviewed and adjusted, However, for wealth above $12M (the 1% point), I think the death tax should be severe. Autocracy needs generational transfer of wealth to survive.

I'd have a bit more sympathy for Snowden if the leak had been limited to the NSA spying on the American public. However, he -- and Griswold -- decided to divulge information to other countries, and I consider that treasonous. If he's protected, that may just encourage more like him to do the same. My impression of Snowden is that he is an immature, self-important little know-it-all; not at all the kind of person who should have access to U.S. secrets. And I think it says a lot about him that he ran first to a communist country for protection. Griswold, on the other hand, is just an arrogant asshole. And to those who want to crown Snowden a hero -- give me a break! There was nothing heroic about it; it was the lure of possible fame and fortune. Well, hopefully, reality does bite!