How about we really cut to the chase and end the drug war completely? It is the biggest excuse for violating the 4th amendment that the government has. Get rid of the drug war and police will have next to no reasons to search random cars, to bust down doors and trespass into people's private homes, or to stop random black kids in the hopes of ruining their future. It's senseless, and this is just one permutation of it.

What have I missed here that makes XBMC so impressive?

Being reclined on the couch at 10pm and being able to use the remote with one hand rather than get up and find the wireless mouse beneath the pile of supermarket flyers, takeout menus, and unread magazines on the coffee table.

Kids can see R-rated movies under the law. It's theaters that won't allow them in by policy.

Do we want 8-year olds to save their lunch money and play Grand Theft Auto?

I don't. But there are better ways to prevent this from happening. Parenting. And supporting store policies that don't allow sales of violent games to minors. No need to brandish police force or put people in prison over it.

Right, because GPS trackers can't be hacked.

Right on! Let's tax all those people who cannot afford cars who walk or bike everywhere! The freeloaders! How dare they think they have the right to ride their bicycle on the road that YOUR SUV paid to build!

We ought to impose a tax on their cheap sandals to cover the damage they cost to the road ways as they walk to the local food pantries and shelters!

I'd absolutely vote for this.

Sure, you're free to drive a behemoth around if you want. But you have to pay for the externalities that you're currently off-loading to everyone else.

Just tax tires. Problem solved. Let's move on.

Buses? There is no ridership left on buses for the most part. Buses are difficult to secure, so people are properly afraid of getting robbed and worse... Public transit has pretty much seen its day in the US. Buses aren't going to work without a cop or two on every bus and there just aren't enough cops to do that.

Wow. Are Americans really so afraid of each other they won't even get on a bus unless there's TWO cops on it????

Exactly how afraid of life are you?

I'm there. HD OTA covers my local football team. But baseball, hockey and basketball tend to be cable-only. I could do MLB.com, but I just don't watch enough games to justify the cost.

So my solution is to use a sporting event I want to see as an excuse to go have a beer with a friend either at their house with their cable tv, or at a local sports bar, or just get a pair of tickets. I mean, I can go to a Bruin's game for $11 some nights. So for the price of cable I can go and see 5 or 6 games a month instead.

While the idea is novel. It's problematic. Because a major game mechanic of an FPS is simply pointing at a space on the screen and pushing a button quickly. And it graduated to navigating a 3d environment and doing the same thing. It's basically a mechanic at the level of popping bubble wrap. i.e. Identify bubble, squeeze, satisfying pop, repeat. Nevermind the overlay that's placed over the mechanic, whether it be aliens, nazis, iraqis, etc. What you're advocating is not a change in the overlay of the mechanic, but rather, a change in the game mechanic itself. Which is a much bigger challenge that you haven't really solved just by saying, "Make it a peaceful game, navigating a 3d environment." How do the "peaceful" interactions work mechanically? What's fun or skillful about it?

Nicotine, on its own, isn't a toxin. Except at outrageous dosages that could never realistically be met simply by common usages of tobacco. From the link: "The currently available literature indicates that nicotine, on its own, does not promote the development of cancer in healthy tissue and has no mutagenic properties."

Oh please! The majority of 70+ year olds I know are far less mature than the teenagers I've met. They're petty, love to gossip, are fearful of absolutely everything and spend most of their energy complaining about what everyone else is or isn't doing despite the fact that they spend the majority of their own time watching day-time tv.

Compare that to the teenagers I know who are winning scholarships, competing in statewide athletic competitions, are excited and optimistic about the future and prefer to talk about government policy, economics and philosophy.

Now if you look, you can find a dead beat 16 year old and an exceptional 75 year old. But if I had to pick between spending an afternoon hanging out with a bunch of teenagers or a bunch of 70+ year olds, I'd take the teenagers every time, the conversation's generally far saner.

Oh please. The majority of 70+ year olds I know are far less mature than the teenagers I've met. They're petty, love to gossip, are fearful of absolutely everything and spend most of their energy complaining about what everyone else is or isn't doing despite the fact that they spend the majority of their own time watching day-time tv.

Compare that to the teenagers I know who are winning scholarships, competing in statewide athletic competitions, are excited and optimistic about the future and prefer to talk about government policy, economics and philosophy.

Now if you look, you can find a dead beat 16 year old and an exceptional 75 year old. But if I had to pick between spending an afternoon hanging out with a bunch of teenagers or a bunch of 70+ year olds, I'd take the teenagers every time, the conversation's generally far saner.

How about discounts for people who never drive cars? They produce zero vehicle emissions AND lower their risk of needing emergency ambulance service and medical care.

Simple fact, the tax on tobacco is dishonest. If it is such a health threat why is it still legal to buy and sell?

The same reason red meat can still be bought and sold. Just because it's mostly unhealthy and there are much better alternatives doesn't mean it ought to be illegal.

Besides, making something illegal doesn't make it go away.