Welcome to FreeRepublic. You can learn a lot here.
One of the things you might not know is that our electric alarm clocks worked before the Department of Energy existed. This Department of Energy says it had 16,000 employees and listed as assets 15,323 vehicles. (2003 data) The also employed 100,000 "contractors" and they all do so much to keep your alarm clock going. (Gee six times as many contractors as employees. What's that about?)
Unlike you, I would guess, I actually visited the National Bureau of Standards (Did they change the name to protect the innocent?) maybe 30 years ago. They were doing robotic research. It looked more to me like the Physics Building at my college. These guys are supposed to keep the golden ruler. That's it.
When you drive past all those buildings that didn't burn down, you could just as well have been on Nantucket Island which probably has the largest concentrated collection of buildings that are more than 200 years old. Many predate the founding of this country. They didn't burn down either.
And as for the internet, it was nothing before private businesses made it what it has become. When you use it the government has NOTHING to do with it (unless you are stealing time on a government computer).
As for socialized medicine I suggest you look here to see your future.
ML/NJ
My God, I had no idea it was like that. That is one of the most horrendous things I have ever seen. My heart breaks for the Cubans that couldn’t get out. The ones that chose to stay, well, enjoy.