Not related to security of any kind, other than reasonably securing the product/services themselves (e.g. locks, software security, etc). Any military sales would be incidental, we do not make military products. The military does buy lots of commercial, off-the-shelf stuff, they very probably consume some of our products in that fashion. Generally, we do not sell to the government, but there are probably cases where government agencies buy/use our products/services. I am only aware of a few cases, it would be a very small part of the business. We did do a bit of consulting with NASA on the shuttle years ago, but that was, again, very very unusual, it is not our normal line of work. We don't make rockets or rocket parts, nothing like that, it was a one-off piece of research (and before we were owned by VLC). As far as too big to fail, my company certainly is not, but VLC might be considered so. There was a scare a few years back, but no mention of the government stepping in. The government would certainly not step in to save my group. Nor would they need to, as I said, we are stable and profitable. There are companies like that.
By the way, the VLC failing would likely not be that big of a deal to us. We're a profitable group, so it would just mean we'd get spun off or sold off to another VLC to pay off debts, raise capital, or whatever the VLC decided (or had decided for it, in the case of bankruptcy). We could come out of such a thing better off, actually.
As far as agreeing or disagreeing, I think I said that 30-40% of Americans have a particular view on how government should be formed. That 2/3rds agree with your view on how things should be is doubtful. There is not a 2/3rds majority view. Saying the system is going in the wrong direction does not mean you agree on which direction it should be going (bigger/smaller). If you mean 2/3rds of people are unhappy, yes. But they are unhappy for different reasons. The small government folks are unhappy because the government isn't small enough for them. The big government folks are unhappy because it isn't big enough. By my calculation, thats 60-80% of the population unhappy (politically, at least). But, no more than half of those unhappy people are unhappy for the same reason your unhappy, unless you are schizophrenic and want the government to be both larger and smaller.
Realistically, people have more complex views. Some are unhappy about civil liberties, some about taxes, etc, etc. That everyone's unhappiness lines up with yours, that is, that they agree with you, is extremely unlikely. That some people agree with you is certain. If you were a majority, you'd have elections won already. But, whether your conservative or liberal, people keep voting against you in sufficient numbers that you don't get what you want (completely).
I'm glad that you are not dependent on government contracts and too big to fail corporations. I greatly value the government and corporations, but I think we need a government and corporations that are a lot more effective and a lot less dishonest and wasteful.
I never said 2/3rds of Americans exactly agree with me. I said that 2/3rds of Americans agree with me that the nation is going the wrong direction. There is a big difference between those two statements.
Again, I repeat myself. Democracy claims that the majority has the moral right and practical reasons to impose their will on the minority or the entire nation. I think this claim is false. America has a Constitution and Bill of Rights for obvious reasons to any American with basic intelligence. Like many other Americans, I seek regime change in the US. After all, the US changes like all nations throughout history. Hopefully, it's for the better. The devil is in the details. As you pointed out, people disagree over how the nation should change or revert.
It's hypocritical for the US government and its connected corporations to promote aggressive or chaotic regime change in other nations, but suppress these protests and rebellions back home. In addition, the US government and its connected corporations incorrectly assume that what works in the US will work everywhere. That is hardly the case.
This incorrect assumption disastrously failed in Iraq and at Afghanistan. It is also failing in Syria and Ukraine. Hong Kong was suppose to be next, but it's turning into a flop. The idea that everyone in the world should become mindless consumers and obey the US upper class is ridiculously dumb. It's impractical at the individual level, for worldwide communities, and for the global environment and global scarcity.
Anyhow, here is a minute sample of data about the problems caused by US policies:
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Satisfaction With Direction of U.S. Remains at 25%
Satisfaction With Direction of U.S. Remains at 25%
May 16, 2014
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WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Americans are as satisfied with the way things are going in the U.S. as they have been for the past five months.
One in four (25%) say they are satisfied with current direction of the country, while 74% express dissatisfaction.
. . . .
Democrats (35%) and independents (24%) continue to be more satisfied with the state of the nation than Republicans (15%). Although low, the current level of satisfaction among Republicans is, by one percentage point, at its highest level since January 2009 when President Barack Obama was inaugurated.
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Poll finds Americans have little faith in government
Poll finds Americans have little faith in government | Dallas Morning News
Updated: 02 January 2014 09:14 AM
. . . .
Half say America's system of democracy needs either "a lot of changes" or a complete overhaul, according to the poll conducted by the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Just 1 in 20 says it works well and needs no changes.
. . . .
When asked to name up to 10 world or national problems they would "like the government to be working on" in 2014, Americans chiefly cite issues that have dominated — and often flummoxed — the White House and Congress for five years. Health care reform topped the list. It is likely, however, that those naming the issue include both opponents and supporters of President Barack Obama's sweeping health care overhaul.
Jobs and the economy were next, followed by the nation's debt and deficit spending.
Some issues that draw ample media and campaign attention rank lower in the public's priorities. No more than 3 percent of Americans listed gay rights, abortion or domestic spying as prime topics for government action.
. . . .
But asked generally about the role of government in society, the AP-NORC Center poll finds Americans divided on how active they want government to be. Half say "the less government the better." However, almost as many (48 percent) say "there are more things that government should be doing."
On the economy, an area historically driven by the private sector, the poll finds a clear public desire for active government. Fifty-seven percent of Americans say "we need a strong government to handle today's complex economic problems."
Even among those who say "the less government the better," 31 percent feel the nation needs a strong government to handle those complex problems.
Americans don't feel terribly optimistic about their own economic opportunities. Although 49 percent say their standard of living surpasses their parents', most are broadly pessimistic about the opportunity to achieve the American Dream. And they are mixed on whether people like them have a good chance to improve their standard of living.
Few are hopeful that the pieces are in place for the government to improve. About half are pessimistic about the country's ability to produce strong leaders generally. And 61 percent are pessimistic about the system of government overall and the way leaders are chosen.
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Republican Lies Rejected: 73% Say Congress Has Done Nothing To Help the American People
Republican Lies Rejected: 73% Say Congress Has Done Nothing To Help the American People
Thursday, December, 26th, 2013, 10:28 am
. . . .
Every demographic group in the poll agreed that this Congress is the worst that they have ever seen in their entire lives. Women, men, African-Americans, Republicans, Democrats, Independents, rich, poor, old young all agree that this Congress is the worst.
The bad news for Republicans is that they aren’t fooling anyone with their rhetoric about doing the work of the American people. 73% of respondents said that this Congress has done nothing to address the nation’s problems. The negativity cuts in every direction.
52% believe Democratic policies would take the country in the wrong direction. 54% believe Republican policies would take the country in the wrong direction, and the same 54% believe President Obama’s policies would take the country in the wrong direction.
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Fox News poll: Voters dissatisfied with direction of US, still 'meh' on economy
Fox News poll: Voters dissatisfied with direction of US, still 'meh' on economy | Fox News
Published July 24, 2014
. . . .
The small decline actually comes from
Democrats: 60 percent are satisfied today vs. 67 percent in May. At the same time,
satisfaction among Republicans (18 percent) and independents (33 percent) held mostly steady.
Overall, a
60-percent majority is dissatisfied with conditions in the U.S. For reference,
79 percent were dissatisfied in the days before President Obama took office in January 2009, and 65 percent were unhappy in October 2010.
. . . .
Partisanship plays a big role in views on the economy: 56 percent of Democrats think the worst is over, while 73 percent of Republicans feel the opposite. And 55 percent of Democrats think the job situation is getting better, while 75 percent of Republicans disagree.
Overall, 53 percent of voters think that the Obama administration has been very (17 percent) or somewhat (36 percent) competent at managing the economy, while 45 percent don’t think so.
The numbers are reversed on President Obama’s job performance rating on the economy: 40 percent approve, while 57 percent disapprove. Job ratings focus on what the president’s doing on the economy rather than simply management competence.
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More Now See Failure than Success in Iraq, Afghanistan
More Now See Failure than Success in Iraq, Afghanistan | Pew Research Center for the People and the Press
January 30, 2014
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After more than a decade of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, the public does not think the United States has achieved its goals in either country.
About half of Americans (52%) say the U.S. has mostly failed to achieve its goals in Afghanistan while 38% say it has mostly succeeded. Opinions about the U.S. war in Iraq are virtually the same: 52% say the United States has mostly failed in reaching its goals there, while 37% say it has mostly succeeded.
. . . .
The decisions to use military force in Iraq and Afghanistan continue to draw majority support among Republicans. By contrast, Democrats are divided about evenly over whether it was right or wrong for the U.S. to use force in Afghanistan, and Democrats continue to overwhelmingly oppose the decision to use force in Iraq.
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AP-GfK poll: Americans ready to close the book on wars in Iraq, Afghanistan
AP-GfK poll: Americans ready to close the book on wars in Iraq, Afghanistan | Associated Press GfK Poll
Aug 1, 2014
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Roughly three out of four Americans polled think that in hindsight, each war will be deemed as an outright “complete failure” or “more of a failure than success.”
A majority of those polled, or 70 percent, said the United States was right to withdraw American troops from Iraq in 2011 and pull most U.S. forces out of Afghanistan by December. The two conflicts have consumed the nation for more than a decade and claimed the lives of 6,800 U.S. troops.
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