At least the US government's leadership is replaceable and its structures and rules are malleable. Sony BMG, on the other hand, is an obnoxious criminal dinosaur -- however well-funded -- with whom the consumer will have to contend until the inevitable death rattles of its outdated business model.

Yeah, what Danilo said.

I like to believe that, at least on paper, the US government has the best interests of the citizenry at heart.

One cannot say the same for Sony BMG.

I would say the US Gov. has killed a few more people than Sony.

Wow. Close race.

MANDATE!

.....The US does get it right occasionally. With Sony, it looks so cool on the shelf, so you buy it, and arrrgh! It NEVER WORKS RIGHT! Or breaks really quickly! When will I learn?

Early '80s 3-head cassette deck: no treble on the left side, 7 trips for service, never fixed.

1990 STRAV920 Receiver: horrific hum when turned on. 3 trips for service, finally fixed by a local shop with aftermarket parts.

Sony 8mm Handycam (record/play head failed after 3 years)

Sony Playstation I (3 mail trips to Atlanta over failed laser)

Sony PS II (distortion in sound module) Kid doesn't care, won't fix it till it quits working entirely.

Sony DDU DVD-ROM drive (hideously slow, take 8-10 seconds for a DVD to seat, frequent lockups.)

Sony can only break your computer if you buy their music. The US Government can make you their bitch on a whim. The government extorts a huge chunk of your money out of you and redistributes it as political payola every year, no matter who's in office. With the neocons in power, they can goosestep into your home without cause and drag you off to a dark hole somewhere where you'll be hidden away forever. Though the government can, arguably, occasionally do some good, its sheer mass and momentum makes its potential for evil so huge that even its small pecadillos end up Satanic in scope. 'That government governs best which governs least' is, unfortunately, an ideal that has been lost even by the traditional guardian of small government, the GOP. All governments are, at best, necessary evils. And the bigger a government gets, the less necessary and more evil it grows. No contest, here.

Let's see:

Sony: Infects your computer. Or if you're lucky, just blocks your computer from performing a task (playing a CD) that it's designed to do. Sells exorbitantly priced TVs, which are occasionally actually worth the price.

US Government: Cuts benefits, sells the environment to corporations, and kills people in the name of 'freedom'.

Even if it's a short term situation, I have to say the US Government is the winner on this one.