Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

internetworkers - Re: [internetworkers] protect the cable companies

internetworkers AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Internetworkers: http://www.ibiblio.org/internetworkers/

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: Michael Czeiszperger <michael AT czeiszperger.org>
  • To: "Internetworkers: http://www.ibiblio.org/internetworkers/" <internetworkers AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [internetworkers] protect the cable companies
  • Date: Fri, 22 Jun 2007 09:53:58 -0400


On Jun 21, 2007, at 6:46 PM, Jim Cook wrote:

Does anyone else find this bothersome?

"The Local Government Fair Competition Act (HB 1587), introduced in the
N.C. House with bipartisan partnership in April, would not allow local
governments to use tax revenue to fund any kind of telecommunications
utility."

There's a whole movement out there of people who think governments should leave everything to the private sector. To them, the idea that government would take on one more thing that could be done by the private sector is something to be outlawed. This movement wants to get rid of public schools, public hospitals, and public utilities, just to name a few.

The problem is the logic doesn't hold for many things government already does. For example, why not outsource the police and fire protection? Each city could contract with a different security company. ("Chapel Hill, protected by Blackwater Security"). Or you could go farther, like some, and argue that the government doesn't have the right to take money from the rich and use it to provide services for the poor.
Each neighborhood could withhold taxes that go to the police and fire and hire their own security guards. Of course, rich neighborhoods would be well protected, and the poor wouldn't get any protection, but why does the government have a right to take money from the rich and give it to undeserving poor people?

________________________________________________________________________ _________
"This device is provided without warranty of any kind as to reliability, accuracy, existence or otherwise fitness for any particular purpose and Bioalchemic Products specifically does not warrant, guarantee, imply or make any representations as to its merchantability for any particular purpose and furthermore shall have no liability for or responsibility to you or any other person, entity or deity with respect of any loss or damage whatsoever caused by this device or object or by any attempts to destroy it by hammering it against a wall or dropping it into a deep well or any other means whatsoever and moreover asserts that you indicate your acceptance of this agreement or any other agreement that may be substituted at any time by coming within five miles of the product or observing it through large telescopes or by any other means because you are such an easily cowed moron who will happily accept arrogant and unilateral conditions on a piece of highly priced garbage that you would not dream of accepting on a bag of dog biscuits and is used solely at your own risk." -- Pratchett







Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page