We Americans have to take responsibility for leading our government, corporations, and communities, not expectantly wait to be led. With regard to privacy, it took persistence, but decades ago I got my life insurance companies to accept as my identification # an alternate # instead of my Social Security #, after I read "Guard Your Social Security Number with Your Life" in Coevolution Quarterly/Whole Earth Review. (Don't recall the article's author for sure, but I think it was Paul Hawken.)

It was tougher to get Blue Cross to accept an alt ID#, but soon after 1993, they finally agreed to my request. Of course, many years later, Blue Cross and virtually everybody has started using alt ID #s, across the board, realizing their earlier folly in sharing SS#s so freely.

The last to catch on seemed to be our local community college. With great reluctance, they finally agreed to allow my 21-yr-old to use an alt ID # a couple yrs ago, and they have indeed now gone with alt ID#s system-wide. (I'd switched our family's own practice before she was born.) http://www.marilynch.com/blog

Here in Monterey, where I've always dried my clothes on an outdoor line, when I do so now I feel my inter-connectedness with people in other parts of the world. Yes, our lifestyles matter. And besides, I had the joy of seeing the starry sky while hanging out a load of towels late last night, and I enjoyed the songs of the morning birds while hanging out clothing earlier today. Drying laundry this way is a great pleasure--my favorite household task!--not a sacrifice.