The thing I love about HN: The original post was up-modded 88 points and has over 60 comments that are actually very interesting debate about elements brought up by that submission. There's a few folks pointing out the astroturfing suspicion.
"On Topic: ... anything that gratifies one's intellectual curiosity"
I agree with you. This submission isn't of the type I come to Hacker News to view.
On similar sites, the original post would have never made it to the front page and the comments on both would have been only about astroturfing and Microsoft hatred. ...Which is why I don't comment or waste time reading the comments on those similar sites.
Voting is no match for the tyranny of the majority. (Look at how well it worked for California; gay marriage is illegal, tax increases are illegal, and the state is bankrupt. Sometimes, you need to elect a trusted representative that can balance all the issues at once.)
California is bankrupt because of out of control government spending and bureaucracy costs. The "majority" is at fault to the extent they have tended to vote themselves a free lunch. But the problem is primarily parasitic special interests in and around the government, so your parallel doesn't really work.
But the problem is primarily parasitic special interests in and around the government, so your parallel doesn't really work.
Whenever I see the words "special interests", I immediately want to know which special interests in particular you're complaining about. The words (rightly) have a bad connotation, but I don't often see a lot of agreement about which specific interests are causing trouble.
Government employee unions is #1 on the list. California government employees make about twice what equivalent private sector workers do and retire 20 years earlier.
Voting will not save anyone. A simple rant can now get to the top _and_ get unflagged. I don't get on HN to read about how everyone in Microsoft is a dick and everyone in marketing is a whore.
