Finland Makes Broadband a Legal Right

[Smittie61984]

Originally Posted by Sean

Know what people use broadband for? Porn. Email, Wikipedia, and news sites all work perfectly fine on a 56k connection.

Ever tried to watch porn on a 56k? It leads to suicide

[101lifts2]

Originally Posted by Kaneman

Compared to the other shit your taxes already cover I'd say this isn't even on your list of worries. At least this would be beneficial to the populace.

Yeah just like everything else. I can see how the convo. went down..

Politician 1: "Fuck, the people are not too happy now about the 70% tax rate. We need to give them someone else if we are gonna ask for 71%.."
Politician 2: "I got it...we can give them unlimited WiFi. It will cost about 200 bucks a person a year, which will be easily covered in the additional 1%. This will shut these peasants up for at least a few years."
Politician 1: "Joonas..you are so smarty."

[101lifts2]

Originally Posted by Smittie61984

Ever tried to watch porn on a 56k? It leads to suicide

Always hated that.....

[Smittie61984]

Originally Posted by 101lifts2

Always hated that.....

Fuck man. I remember the days where you'd wait for a single picture and halfway through someone calls and fucks it up. But at 13 you had no choice.

My main problem with this whole thing is how is it a "right"? It'd be one thing if a city/state worked with a private company or various companies to bring cheap or free wireless internet. It's another thing to be a right forced on those who don't even use the internet and will never hear about this because htey don't have the internet.

[Papa_Complex]

Originally Posted by Smittie61984

Fuck man. I remember the days where you'd wait for a single picture and halfway through someone calls and fucks it up. But at 13 you had no choice.

My main problem with this whole thing is how is it a "right"? It'd be one thing if a city/state worked with a private company or various companies to bring cheap or free wireless internet. It's another thing to be a right forced on those who don't even use the internet and will never hear about this because htey don't have the internet.

Depends on how the service is delivered. It could be simply by requiring that carriers seeking licensing for the more profitable urban areas also must provide service to specific less profitable regions.

[Smittie61984]

Originally Posted by Papa_Complex

Depends on how the service is delivered. It could be simply by requiring that carriers seeking licensing for the more profitable urban areas also must provide service to specific less profitable regions.

Well there is someting going on in Atlanta along the same lines...
http://www.fastpass.net/index.php

I haven't read too much up on it but I still think the cellphone providers are doing a damn good job. Infact it drives me nuts at work because half hte people I work with spend their entire day on their internet phone and keep showing me dumb shit.

I'd just prefer no government involvement since I don't feel that the internet is a basic human right.

[Kaneman]

My thing is, everyday I sit and either laugh or become nauseated at how the government spends taxpayer money. I laugh at the bridge to nowhere and I'm appalled by the war in Iraq, the enforcement of drug and prostitution laws, speed traps, Air Force One flyovers...and well NFL will be on soon so I don't have time to cover it all, but you get the drift. Our Federal and State governments burn through billions of dollars of our hard-earned cash every week. The spending is completely reckless, without thought or guidance. These motherfuckers are flying in private jets with their families all over the country, and don't buy the bullshit that its business related. There is a serious disconnection with reality, and no concept of how to save or spend money.

All Government is like an 8 year old that wins the lottery. It doesn't matter who you vote into office, whether your a Republican, Democrat or Independent. These are the facts of life here, its never going to get better and will continue to get more and more absurd on a daily basis. In the meantime our health care system is in disarray, our public education system is a complete fucking joke, in many places public transportation is non-existent, police depts are still full of abuse and corruption, 911 is bogged down, prisons are literally overflowing, people who represent no danger to the public are being locked up while dangerous rapists and pedophiles are going free. The majority (which is relevant since we're a supposed democracy) is far too busy celebrity worshiping to give a flying fuck other than an occasional grumble at the water cooler. Shit is seriously fucked up. And we're complaining about broadband internet? Really?

So, if the govt was to come out and say, "hey, we're going to use taxpayer money to expand the coverage of high speed internet into rural areas of America and treat it like a utility" then I don't have a problem with that. Because unlike most govt spending this is something Americans can benefit from.

I always hear the argument that goes like "well they made the choice to do this or that and my tax payer dollars shouldn't cover them so fuck 'em" whenever a subject like this comes up, or the "OMG that's socialism" and it makes me laugh because the sole purpose of tax money is to wipe a politicians ass and keep his bedroom fire going at night. Nothing good is being done with your money as it is...so on the off chance that the Government is going to do something to improve or advance society we should be rejoicing.

I completely understand that what the government funds the government controls. I understand internet provided by the government will be regulated by the government and eventually when you google "Kent State" you'll get a Wikipedia page that doesn't even mention the massacre there. I just don't see a big difference between that and where we're already headed. Is State-controlled media any worse than media that panders to the political left or right? None of it is non-biased, much of it is outright drama-infused fabrication, and very little is objective reporting. In other words, we don't get the whole story either way.

Would a society that uses tax payer money to improve quality of life and to guarantee health care and basic utilities really be so fucking horrible? There is PLENTY of money to do it without any tax increases is we could only funnel our money where it needs to go.

Its no more of a pipe-dream than the America many still this we live in, you know, that whole "land of the free home of the brave" thing.

[goof2]

Originally Posted by Kaneman

My thing is, everyday I sit and either laugh or become nauseated at how the government spends taxpayer money. I laugh at the bridge to nowhere and I'm appalled by the war in Iraq, the enforcement of drug and prostitution laws, speed traps, Air Force One flyovers...and well NFL will be on soon so I don't have time to cover it all, but you get the drift. Our Federal and State governments burn through billions of dollars of our hard-earned cash every week. The spending is completely reckless, without thought or guidance. These motherfuckers are flying in private jets with their families all over the country, and don't buy the bullshit that its business related. There is a serious disconnection with reality, and no concept of how to save or spend money.

All Government is like an 8 year old that wins the lottery. It doesn't matter who you vote into office, whether your a Republican, Democrat or Independent. These are the facts of life here, its never going to get better and will continue to get more and more absurd on a daily basis. In the meantime our health care system is in disarray, our public education system is a complete fucking joke, in many places public transportation is non-existent, police depts are still full of abuse and corruption, 911 is bogged down, prisons are literally overflowing, people who represent no danger to the public are being locked up while dangerous rapists and pedophiles are going free. The majority (which is relevant since we're a supposed democracy) is far too busy celebrity worshiping to give a flying fuck other than an occasional grumble at the water cooler. Shit is seriously fucked up. And we're complaining about broadband internet? Really?

So, if the govt was to come out and say, "hey, we're going to use taxpayer money to expand the coverage of high speed internet into rural areas of America and treat it like a utility" then I don't have a problem with that. Because unlike most govt spending this is something Americans can benefit from.

I always hear the argument that goes like "well they made the choice to do this or that and my tax payer dollars shouldn't cover them so fuck 'em" whenever a subject like this comes up, or the "OMG that's socialism" and it makes me laugh because the sole purpose of tax money is to wipe a politicians ass and keep his bedroom fire going at night. Nothing good is being done with your money as it is...so on the off chance that the Government is going to do something to improve or advance society we should be rejoicing.

I completely understand that what the government funds the government controls. I understand internet provided by the government will be regulated by the government and eventually when you google "Kent State" you'll get a Wikipedia page that doesn't even mention the massacre there. I just don't see a big difference between that and where we're already headed. Is State-controlled media any worse than media that panders to the political left or right? None of it is non-biased, much of it is outright drama-infused fabrication, and very little is objective reporting. In other words, we don't get the whole story either way.

Would a society that uses tax payer money to improve quality of life and to guarantee health care and basic utilities really be so fucking horrible? There is PLENTY of money to do it without any tax increases is we could only funnel our money where it needs to go.

Its no more of a pipe-dream than the America many still this we live in, you know, that whole "land of the free home of the brave" thing.

I understand what you are saying, but your two primary point are opposed to each other. You say that we should do things that improve quality of life, and we can afford to do these things if the government puts tax money where it actually needs to go. In the same post you are disgusted with the blatant waste that the government is doing nothing about.

In my view the government should only be doing things they have to do. Having them spend more money for pet programs like this is far from that mission. "Land of the free and home of the brave" is nice in concept, but does that still apply when half the country is apparently deathly afraid of seeing Janet Jackson's nipple or hearing "fuck" on TV? Ultimately how free and brave are we when we demand that our government take care of everything and regulate the shit out of it for us?

[Kaneman]

Originally Posted by goof2

I understand what you are saying, but your two primary point are opposed to each other. You say that we should do things that improve quality of life, and we can afford to do these things if the government puts tax money where it actually needs to go. In the same post you are disgusted with the blatant waste that the government is doing nothing about.

In my view the government should only be doing things they have to do. Having them spend more money for pet programs like this is far from that mission. "Land of the free and home of the brave" is nice in concept, but does that still apply when half the country is apparently deathly afraid of seeing Janet Jackson's nipple or hearing "fuck" on TV? Ultimately how free and brave are we when we demand that our government take care of everything and regulate the shit out of it for us?

We're not free and brave, that was my point. That's specifically why I made the point that the majority of the population is so wrapped up in pop culture that it doesn't really matter what people who still have some sense left think because they're the minority.

We're regulated and micromanaged to the point that its almost laughable how far we've gone to becoming a nation who doesn't even remember what the word "adult" means. The laws in this country are so oppressing and absurd you have to wonder if you're really living in the country that flies the stars and stripes. I am in no way at all a fan of the federal government or the increasing interference in our everyday lives.

Really, what I was saying was that because the majority of this country has become so....fuck I don't even know what word to use besides "sheeple", that these main points are never going to change SO, if you the very small chance you see the govt do something, ANYTHING that improves people's lives then fuck...you might as well stand up and cheer.

We're wrapped up in two wars that everyone knows aren't going to end well. Worse in Afghanistan than in Iraq. Your talking about TRILLIONS....fucking trillions of dollars dude...complete shit down the fucking toilet. No, even worse than that...we spent all that money to make ourselves look ignorant and week to the rest of the world once again. So to complain about something like government funded expansion of broadband internet seems silly to me.

[goof2]

Originally Posted by Kaneman

We're not free and brave, that was my point. That's specifically why I made the point that the majority of the population is so wrapped up in pop culture that it doesn't really matter what people who still have some sense left think because they're the minority.

We're regulated and micromanaged to the point that its almost laughable how far we've gone to becoming a nation who doesn't even remember what the word "adult" means. The laws in this country are so oppressing and absurd you have to wonder if you're really living in the country that flies the stars and stripes. I am in no way at all a fan of the federal government or the increasing interference in our everyday lives.

Really, what I was saying was that because the majority of this country has become so....fuck I don't even know what word to use besides "sheeple", that these main points are never going to change SO, if you the very small chance you see the govt do something, ANYTHING that improves people's lives then fuck...you might as well stand up and cheer.

We're wrapped up in two wars that everyone knows aren't going to end well. Worse in Afghanistan than in Iraq. Your talking about TRILLIONS....fucking trillions of dollars dude...complete shit down the fucking toilet. No, even worse than that...we spent all that money to make ourselves look ignorant and week to the rest of the world once again. So to complain about something like government funded expansion of broadband internet seems silly to me.

Most everything the government does started as a way to "improve people's lives". In my view that is a large part of the problem. The federal government should be doing the things that are absolutely necessary and state governments cannot handle. It is the federal government's decision to overreach by getting in to the "improve people's lives" business that has contributed significantly to train wreck it currently is.