But it seems unprecedented - and unfit for most concepts of government control:

Govt. must be 'conservative' (in the former un-spun meaning, not the New spun excuse for a 'reactionary' mindset in all things). G. must move slowly, yet no previous "industry" has ever moved - and so often scurrilously - on such a scale as.. toy computers everywhere.

Not surprising that any idea of hobbling these barbarians is very like that Gordian knot. This plot has everything! Vast wealth for the terminally $-besotted, vast chicanery for those who imagine that success is unrelated to means.. and the omnipresent fear that the current illusion of 'prosperity' (esp. in US-centric circles) might be tied to 'more of the same'. {sigh}

I suspect that no consensus shall emerge re hobbling these twerps - until more attention is paid to the Corp slavery of 24/7, two-working for salary of one -- and the other tens of millions of people which comprise the largest growing segment:

"The working poor". Dunno how that plays out in Oz, of course. Here it is intertwined with our antediluvian idea of Corp medical 'care' for profit - all too inaccessible to 30-ish% of the population + the growth of mainly junk-wage jobs / no med, vacation or other perks. Stress: the growing windfall for Pharm-Chem Corps everywhere!

Somehow the M$ dilemma is at the heart of all these huge social blunders -- and the increasing adversarial position of Corporate VS humans. (This even without examining the entire inane idea of, "The Information Economy"! -- as if #$!@^#^*$ infotainment: can cook the rice, rebuild the bridges and such!)

No, I have no 'solution' either. Viscerally it's easy: nuke from orbit since.. so much of the dilemma involves a concentration of sociopaths in a convenient locale.


:-)


Ashton

(Yeah - just a few rule changes re Corporations as special a-social 'entities' could alleviate much - but in Murica, the people who buy the laws are the ones benefitting from the status quo) Ever thus. It was a fine experiment though - til Capitalism became our actual National Religion.