Dude, we get it, you’re a super fan but these are some intellectually lazy comments. Our military is powerful, yes, but if you want to make some exceptional claims you need to show your homework demonstrating that kind of claimed huge leap over other economies (China, Russia, Germany, etc.). Be sure to explain how Iran is doing so well for so much less.

Um, where did I mention China or Russia?

Intellectually lazy? What are you even talking about? Stay on topic, you are embarrassing yourself.

We don't have any of these so-called 'econonic freedoms'. Anybody can be de-banked at any time.

These "economic freedoms", specifically the actions of so-called "tech" companies with respect to the internet, are the cause of "age verfification" legislation

The original internet had rules against using it for commercial activity

It lacked "economic freedoms"

FWIW I still found it worth using at the time, despite no so-called "tech" companies

It also lacked websites of unmanageable size with hundreds of millions of pages of user-generated content used as bait to lure in ad targets for data collection and surveillance, so-called "platforms" or "social media"

It lacked "age verification" to access those websites because those websites did not exist

There will be at least one HN reply arguing that the original internet sucked, or some other brainless dismissal

As if the internet we have now does not suck. Clearly, it does suck for some people

It is not a lack of "economic freedoms" on the internet that has led to "age verification". It's quite the opposite