"Communism is alive and well in is US of A."

I hate to start an argument, Aladin, but it isn't communism. It's National Socialism.

No arguement a-tall Grumble. I'll check to that, I just think the two are about in the same file.

While I'm off on one of my paranoid-delusional rants, let me bring up another thing.

We're in tax season. The IRS has chartered several firms to allow e-filing, and for most people it's free. It is quick and easy, and will greatly speed up the receipt of any refunds that may be due to taxpayers. That's a good deal, right? Well, maybe, and maybe not. To e-file, you have to send your return to the tax software company, and THEY send it to the IRS. The catch in this neat scheme is that the Patriot Act permits the Feds to get our financial info from any institution (like banks, investment companies, brokers, etc) without a warrant and without notification to the account holder. The IRS is tightly restricted in who, how, and when it can release tax info, so info the IRS has is fairly private unless subject to a warrant from a federal judge. Not so the identical info held by the tax preparation companies. Virtually any bureaucrat will have access to your tax info if you e-file.

Consider also that "for our own good," medical records are now being digitized and legislation is wending its way through Congress to make all medical records instantly available to doctors anywhere. And also instantly available to anyone else that may have access to the system. Did you think that you and your doctor had a confidential association? Maybe, and maybe not.

My personal test to determine if any gov't power is a good thing or a bad thing, is to ask myself, "what would Hitler have done with this power?" I know of no (none, zip, nada) gov't power that hasn't been overused or abused.

Rant concluded.