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Questions for Town Meeting with Congressman?
tongue asks: "I have
the opportunity tomorrow to go to a town meeting with my Congressman, Gene Taylor (D, Miss.). I'd
like to be able to ask several (preferably intelligent) questions
regarding issues facing the technology industry today, on
bills like the DMCA, SSSCA, etc; but I'm having trouble narrowing
down the field. The research I've been able to do so far indicates
a fairly conservative voting record, although I haven't had much luck
finding a good site that summarizes a bill-by-bill voting record along with a synopsis of the bill." We did a similar question, last month about the CBDTPA which dovetails nicely with this issue. What questions about these and other questionable electronic laws passed over the last few years, would you like tongue to ask Senator Taylor?
first post!!!!!!
HE TOOK YOUR PLACE
One day, a man went to visit a church.
He arrived early, parked his car, and got out.
Another car pulled up near him, and the driver told him, "I always park there. You took my place!"
The visitor went inside for Sunday School, found an empty seat and sat down.
A young lady from the church approached him and stated, "That's my seat! You took my place!"
The visitor was somewhat distressed by this rude welcome, but said nothing.
After Sunday School, the visitor went into the church sanctuary and sat down.
Another member walked up to him and said, "That's where I always sit. You took my place!"
The visitor was even more troubled by this treatment, but still said nothing.
Later, as the congregation was praying for Christ to dwell among them, the visitor stood, and his appearance began to change.
Horrible scars became visible on his hands and on his sandaled feet.
Someone from the congregation noticed him and called out, "What happened to you?"
The visitor replied, "I took your place."
Microsoft, like Enron, now pays zero federal income tax, even though Microsoft's earnings for the two years ending June 2001 exceeded $15 billion. This nonpayment of federal income tax is indeed the largest source of Microsoft's massive $40 billion cash balance. http://www.portlandtribune.com/archview.cgi?id=972 6 The fundamental problem is that Microsoft is incurring massive losses and only by accounting illusions are they able to show a profit. Specifically, Microsoft is granting excessive amounts of stock options that are allowing the company to understate its costs. You might ask yourself, what would happen to Microsoft's stock price if the public suddenly realized that they lost $10 billion in 1999 rather than earning the reported $7.8 billion? If 80 percent of its stock value or roughly $400 billion is the result of a pyramid scheme, one might also ask what kind of effect this could have on the retirement system. It is also important to note that this is a relatively new situation that did not occur before 1995. The Economist noted that a proper accounting at Microsoft would result in a loss of $18 billion for 1998 rather than the reported earnings of $4.5 billion. If you are not an accountant, don't waste the time pretending you are, trust The Economist, the earnings are not real. Don't let yourself be intimidated or deceived by financial analysts, TV commentators, bullies on Internet forums or Microsoft's elaborate public relations campaign. http://www.billparish.com/msftfraudfacts.html