Science in the States is fucked ( Read more... )

They have to be.  A simple example from real life proves it ( Read more... )

A former colonial power is paying reparations to the colony it occupied.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7589557.stm

In other news: pigs gain the ability to fly, hell freezes over, Friedman writes a correct prediction, and a Libertarian gets elected president.

I have been thinking.  What is the purpose of a government or a state?  That is to say, what would you say are the reasons for a government's existence?  Basically, what basic services or tasks must a group of people do to be considered a government for a larger group of people?