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FCC Vote Marks Effort To Take Greater Control of the Web
GovTechGuy writes "The FCC voted today to open an inquiry into how the broadband industry is regulated, the first step in a controversial attempt to assert greater regulatory control over Internet service providers. In a 3-2 vote the Democratic members of the Commission voted to move forward with the FCC's proposal to reclassify broadband as a telecom service, increasing the regulation it is subject to. The move also has large implications for net neutrality, which FCC Commissioner Julius Genachowski has made a focus under his watch."
Everyone has a phone. The FCC should mandate that the phone company provide DSL to every customer that requests it. Instant broadband for everybody.
"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
Ok, so, what would be the scope of this "kill switch"? All routers in the US? All top level domains with servers in the US? Or is he talking about some kind of global thing? Other nations not even involved in any attack against anyone might have something to say about that.
Python: 'And then suddenly you have a language which says "we're all stuck with whatever the whiniest coder wants".'
I just want to know what government programs started with good intentions (besides perhaps, wars) have made things worse.
Depends on what you mean by making things worse. Some of us think that reducing individual liberty IS making things worse regardless of any other effects. This then includes just about all government actions (except those that protect individual liberty such as the legal system, law enforcement and defence) because they all involve physical force. As Greenspan said "At the bottom of the endless pile of paperwork which characterizes all regulation lies a gun."
But let's focus only on the government actions that made things worse in a more obvious ways.
1. Social Security
Intention: Provide seniors with material security
Result: It makes things worse. By any calculation, if the working people right now were allowed to put the same money they pay into social security (12.5% including employer portion) into an interest bearing retirement account they would receive a much higher payout once they retire, but we are not allowed to opt out.
2. Farm subsidies
Intention: Who knows
Result: Majority of payments go to the largest and wealthiest farmers. Harms developing countries by denying them an opportunity to compete fairly on cost with the US farmers.
3. United Nations Funding
Intention: "To maintain international peace and security...blah blah"
Result: It does nothing of the sort. The most it can be said about it is that it provides a discussion forum where countries with dismal human rights record can rant against the USA and western democracies in general.
4. National Endowment for the Arts
Intention: To promote arts etc
Result: Frivolously pays taxpayer money to "selected" artists with connections, while majority of artists get nothing. How would you like to be a struggling artist who pays taxes while knowing that the portion of your money goes to other, more "special", artists based on subjective and vague criteria.
5. Bankrupt and poorly managed government services: Awful public education, among the worst in developed countries. Post Office (now close to bankruptcy). Amtrak (has never been self sufficient in its history) etc etc
Can I go on?
Negative moral value of force outweighs the positive value of good intentions.
And funny enough when you dig into the root of the consequences of letting corporations run wild, you'll find usually the problems start with the government. Think the housing crash was cus of greedy corporations? well it's true some gambled, but there was good old federal reserve to print money, and there was good old barney frank & company making banks take on mortgages they otherwise wouldn't. And then what do our wonderful politicians do? bail them all out.
Not that it's always the government's fault, there's certainly plenty of blame for private companies, but the worse disasters are usually rooted in government.
And funny enough when you dig into the root of the consequences of letting corporations run wild, you'll find usually the problems start with the government. Think the housing crash was cus of greedy corporations? well it's true some gambled, but there was good old federal reserve to print money, and there was good old barney frank & company making banks take on mortgages they otherwise wouldn't. And then what do our wonderful politicians do? bail them all out.
Not that it's always the government's fault, there's certainly plenty of blame for private companies, but the worse disasters are usually rooted in government.
The two are often correlated, just as blood vessels and high-grade tumors are correlated. It would be a mistake to conclude though that blood vessels are the -cause- of the worst tumors and thus blood vessels are a bad thing.
In the case of tumors, the real problems start when a low grade tumor learns how to get the body to grow blood vessels to it, feeding it. In the case of the worst businesses gone wild, yes, there are often government programs, subsidies, laws, etc that are helping to feed it, but cause and effect can be more tricky, some corrupt businesses use their power to bend government to feed their interests. Other unfortunate collaborations between business interests and government may have started out on the other end, with corrupt individuals in the government seeing an opportunity.
I am convinced though that government regulations do not make dishonest business people from honest business people, and furthermore government regulations are quite often needed to keep business interests in check, just as I am convinced that blood vessels do not make tumors out of healthy tissue and are needed for life.
I just want to know what government programs started with good intentions (besides perhaps, wars) have made things worse.
1. Social Security
2. Farm subsidies
3. United Nations Funding
4. National Endowment for the Arts
5. Bankrupt and poorly managed government services:
You know, it has been quite interesting for me to compare and contrast this list with one posted above by someone else:
Prohibition
War on Drugs
Japanese Internment Camps
National Security Letters
Register for Sex offenders
It really shows two entirely different modes of thought in juxaposition.
Regards.