Should the Government Bring You High-Speed Internet?

[Paisley]

I understand that long ago, postage was due upon receipt. Nice!

 

[Marc Chevalier]

And in Chile, postal mail carriers -- who are very poorly paid -- expect to receive a tip when they hand the mail to you personally. If you don't tip them, you may not receive all of your future mail.

Nothing is free.

.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Ah, but the junk mail companies pay handsomely for the priveledge of having their rubbish delivered to your door. USPS makes an awful lot of money out of those companies. And it helps the mailmen get a bit fitter, no? win-win situation for USPS: Money in the coffers, and fitter employees means less sick leave and fewer operations for fitness (lack of) related diseases.

Still, i wish i didn't get junk mail.

bk

 

[dr greg]

Originally Posted by Lincsong
There's a senior mobile home park over here and the old geezers are complaining that their cable t.v. is too high. They want the City to subisidize them. My answer; rabbit ears work fine, there's 16 on air channels in the Bay Area. Seems like everything for the generation is; "gimmee, gimmeee, gimmee, free, free, free".
Would that be the generation that fought several wars for the values our society espouses, or toiled in the factories as the grinding wheels of capitalism?. No use for them anymore? How dare they have a rest, this retirement business has to go.There was a movie made back in the 60's where everyone over the age of 35 was killed and the young ruled...would that be your utopia?
I might also ask why, if old people are so contemptible, do you want to wear their clothes?

 

[Lincsong]

Originally Posted by Lincsong
There's a senior mobile home park over here and the old geezers are complaining that their cable t.v. is too high. They want the City to subisidize them. My answer; rabbit ears work fine, there's 16 on air channels in the Bay Area. Seems like everything for the generation is; "gimmee, gimmeee, gimmee, free, free, free".
Would that be the generation that fought several wars for the values our society espouses, or toiled in the factories as the grinding wheels of capitalism?. No use for them anymore? How dare they have a rest, this retirement business has to go.There was a movie made back in the 60's where everyone over the age of 35 was killed and the young ruled...would that be your utopia?
I might also ask why, if old people are so contemptible, do you want to wear their clothes?

Were this crop of retirees the only generation to do that? NO! Let's go back in time; WWI, Spanish-American War, Civil War, Mexican-American War, War of 1812. The generation of retirees did nothing that other generations hadn't done before them. What have they done lately, besides want everyone's taxes raised to pay for themselves? What do they want? To save every last penny because they want to leave something to their children? They should pay their own way. Toiling in the factories? Have people stopped working? People are still toiling today. No one has any contempt for old people, just leeches who want and expect something for nothing.

And in reference to the lady in whose county retirees don't pay property taxes, that's another bunch of hot air, taking people out of the tax paying situation only makes them ambivalent to others who have to write the check. The old; "well, I don't have to pay it" mentality.

 

[dr greg]

down with the old

So let me get this right, people who have fought for their country and/or worked all their lives have no rights at all in the society they built, let alone the chance of maybe getting a little bit back for all the social capital they invested. It's dog eat dog, and the devil take the hindmost, you're only as good as your last stroke of luck.
If that's your ideal view of society, you better hope you never get a hole in your boat.
I'd advise you to read a book called The Mountain People
http://www1.dragonet.es/users/markbcki/trnbll.htm
but going by your comments, you don't strike me as someone interested in what happens to other people...

 

[Twitch]

Of course if the government wants to subsidize electric power which has tripled in our area after the wonderfulness of deregulation, that's fine.

 

[jamespowers]

Death is free. You do not have to pay in order to die.

.

That is completely wrong. Obviously you have never paid for a funeral in your life time. :eusa_doh:

 

[Marc Chevalier]

I stand by my statement: you do not have to pay in order to die. After you've died is a different matter.

.

 

[Lincsong]

So let me get this right, people who have fought for their country and/or worked all their lives have no rights at all in the society they built, let alone the chance of maybe getting a little bit back for all the social capital they invested. It's dog eat dog, and the devil take the hindmost, you're only as good as your last stroke of luck.
If that's your ideal view of society, you better hope you never get a hole in your boat.
I'd advise you to read a book called The Mountain People
http://www1.dragonet.es/users/markbcki/trnbll.htm
but going by your comments, you don't strike me as someone interested in what happens to other people...

:eusa_doh: Your statement makes no sense. Those who fought in WWII got something back from this country; it's called the GI Bill, which my father who served in WWII, took advantage of since he was/is a veteran and it was offered to veterans. Being a senior citizen does not automatically guarantee pedestal status in society and it definetely does not mean that society must pay for their cable and internet serivice. Social Capital invested? What is that.[huh] lol

 

[Barry]

That is completely wrong. Obviously you have never paid for a funeral in your life time. :eusa_doh:

If you want to die "comfortably" (whatever that means) you might have to pay a hospice or for in home health care.

 

[dr greg]

google it

I'm not surprised that social capital is an unknown concept to you, sir, going by the spiritual bankruptcy of your comments so far, but I have better things to do than connect the dots for you: one thing I have learnt in my long life is that a closed mind can only be opened by itself.

 

[Viola]

Would that be the generation that fought several wars for the values our society espouses, or toiled in the factories as the grinding wheels of capitalism?. No use for them anymore? How dare they have a rest, this retirement business has to go.There was a movie made back in the 60's where everyone over the age of 35 was killed and the young ruled...would that be your utopia?
I might also ask why, if old people are so contemptible, do you want to wear their clothes?

Just because they deserve respect for admirable things they may have done as individuals, they are collectively entitled to live off of other people's sweat, all so they can entertain themselves? What was keeping them from saving for their future jollies?

This isn't food you're talking about, its cable tv.

 

[dr greg]

TV?

It's not about cable TV. it's about a perceived attitude to those older or less fortunate, and it strikes me as having fairly ruthless undertones, which obviously suits some.

 

[Viola]

It's not about cable TV. it's about a perceived attitude to those older or less fortunate, and it strikes me as having fairly ruthless undertones, which obviously suits some.

I would be fairly hesitant to extrapolate that much about ruthless based on a reaction to a request (free cable, bill footed by the taxpayers) which is, in my opinion, well over the line.

Consider the difference between a homeless man who says, "I'm hungry" and a homeless man who runs up to you and demands twenty dollars. If you don't want to be involved with the second, does that mean you are ruthless, or that you wouldn't help the first?

 

[scotrace]

Consider the difference between a homeless man who says, "I'm hungry" and a homeless man who runs up to you and demands twenty dollars. If you don't want to be involved with the second, does that mean you are ruthless, or that you wouldn't help the first?

There's a school of thought that says the answer in either case is "My house needs painting."

 

[Pilgrim]

I'm not surprised that social capital is an unknown concept to you, sir, going by the spiritual bankruptcy of your comments so far, but I have better things to do than connect the dots for you: one thing I have learnt in my long life is that a closed mind can only be opened by itself.

I am surprised to see a personal attack of this kind on this forum. The term "spiritual bankruptcy" has no meaning at all.

I would be pleased to see less personal content and more logic in the discussion.

It's quite appropriate to debate which services and utilities should be publicly funded and supported, and to what extent. It's not appropriate to attack others because their opinion differs from yours.

 

[Viola]

There's a school of thought that says the answer in either case is "My house needs painting."

That never would have occured to me, but I approve in theory. However, the city girl in me would NEVER EVER tell a strange man where I live.

 

[jamespowers]

I stand by my statement: you do not have to pay in order to die. After you've died is a different matter.

.

Dying costs money in the end unless they are just going to leave you around to rot. There is a cause and effect. I suppose they could taxidermy you if one of your friends was good at such a thing---that would be free.
The rest of us pay for a funeral and it costs money. [huh]

Regards,

J

 

[jamespowers]

Social welfare as I see it should be reserved for the aged, very young and infirmed. Otherwise there is no excuse for the able-bodied not being self sufficient. The problem with many societies is they are more interested in pushing Stalin than Alger. Finanacial management courses should be mandatory throughout high school. You get the education and what you do with it is your perogative but there are consequences to our choices and they should not be shirked off on someone else who does not know you and is forced to comply at the barrel of a gun. In that case just call it what it is legalized robbery. [huh] :eusa_doh:

Regards,

J