I'll be pissed!!!!!

[Mortto56]

I was flicking threw a BB on another web site yesterday,(yes I admit,I don't look at porno all the time,)and someone posted that the U.S. Postal service was bitching about how much money it was losing.It said that because of e-mails it was losing millions of dollars.So some money grubin' MOTHER FUCKER in the Postal Service suggest to put a 5 cent charge on every e-mail sent in the U.S....I don't now how you all feel about this,but I'm pissed.Just another way for BIG BROTHER to get in you pocket.I feel I pay enough MOTHER FUCKING taxes.....Would like to hear your opinion......Later!!!

 

[Flagg]

I don't know about that but I did hear an idea about a debt relief tax on emails.

The way it works is to charge $0.01 per email sent. The proceeds pay off world debt thus allowing developping countries to get on with actually developping as opposed to going backwards due to the outstanding burden of interest rates.

Most of this "tax" would be payed by companies and not the general public as a vast majority of emails are sent through company based emails.

Sounds like a great idea to me.

 

[Mortto56]

Flagg....I realize your from England,and I don't know how your taxes are.But I for one,am getting pissed off,paying all these taxes that I pay,to bail out all these countrys all the time....Especially when we have people living on the street,and going hungry here in the states....I know that may sound selfish,but thats just the way I feel.....You start adding 1 or 5 cents to every e-mail everyone sends,well hell thats alot of money.I already spend $30.00 a month just to get on the internet....I know that you don't have to agree with me,but thats where I stand.

 

[Bliss]

Mortto,

The usps website has a section on rumors, should put your mind at ease. Also, you can look up urbanlegends.about.com to put to rest any other rumors you read.

Hope this helps.

 

[Mortto56]

Thanks Payne,I'll do that!....I guess I should have done that,before I started venting....Thanks again..

 

[Dixon Carter Lee]

Yes, it has become a sort of urban legend, but it was based on an actual idea the US Postal Service had. It will never happen of course. The trend is still very much toward creating a free Internet, and Uncle Sam isn't about to do something as collosally stupid as take the word "free" out of anything. There isn't a large corporation in the United States that doesn't already impose upon itself some sort of charitable tax, whether it's on phone calls or taking a fraction of eveyone's check or what have you -- and still we have world hunger. The problem isn't getting corporations to fork over the loot, they do this readily to be seen as a "good neighbor" and get faster building codes and tax breaks, but in distributing and allocating funds.

Me, I'm banking my hopes on Frankenfood. Genetically altered rice to feed the world is the most amazing thing since Teflon no-stick frying pans.

 

[Bliss]

They took that original idea and teamed up with FedEx to get to charge money for delivering what they deem as a "more secure" email and they're charging a heckuva lot more than 5 or 10 cents.


Genetically altered rice? I thought that was already sitting in every grocery store (ala Minute Rice etc.). Scary thought. Here, eat some organic spinach.

 

[FlamingoBlue]

Mort...

Chill out and go to Mr. Tony's for a BLT. Its less than a half an hor from you ad they are open 24 hours, I think.

blue

 

[RonG]

Always a grain of truth - The US Mail is doing okay as long as they have a monopoly on regular mail. Every once in awhile, they go in and raid businesses that are using FedEx too much for sending stuff that ought to go out first class mail. The results are fines and ridiculous hassles.

But The Post Office did make an announcement yesterday saying that they are considering being an Email Conduit for those who have no interest in finding a regular provider. The gist is that they are considering setting up kiosks in post offices to go in and allow people to type up the equivalent of first class letters, then they would deliver them either electronically or hard copies.

 

[Handy-Andy]

The u.k's gotta be the worst just look how much tax we pay o litre of petrol 43p out of a total of about 87p a litre goes to the tax man you in america would not have that its just a rip off living in england tax and more tax.

 

[April]

What gets me about the U.K. is the radio and the T.V. tax! WTF!? That just doesn't make any sense! You already pay the VAT, and to pay a yearly tax in addition is not right!

 

[Skibum]

We (I mean US citizens) bitch a lot about taxes, but the fact is we pay less in taxes than almost anyone else in the world. Most countries have a more centralized form of public health/social programs than we do, and they have to be funded somehow. I prefer our system, because it encourages self reliance a little more than the Canadian or British systems do.

 

[Mortto56]

Hi Handy-Andy:By the sounds of you,you say that you are paying about half in taxes for gas...The gas I pay here in Mid-Michigan,at the moment is $1.45 a gallon...1 month ago,I was paying $2.35 a gallon.There is a $0.50 gallon Federal tax,plus in MI,theres a $0.12 gallon tax....So thats about a little less than half...What happen a month ago,is a company,decided to make some big money before the 4th of July weekend hit,and all of a sudden,"DAMN"..one of our gas lines breaks......Ya right, out in the middle of this fucking field,in the middle of nowhere,all of a sudden their line breaks...Well I can't doubt it,but I sure can think about it....Later!

 

[Flagg]

I'd like to take a minute here, if you don't mind, to explain a little about how the BBC actually works.

In the UK, we have to have a television license in order to watch TV. This license costs £8.96 ($15?) per month which is cheaper than most sky channels I might add. For this small amount of cash we get something that in my view is the most unique and best cultural product in the world - Auntie (a.k.a. BBC)

The BBC covers two television stations and 6 radio stations. One of these stations (Radio 1) is the most listened to radio station in Europe.
The two TV channels offer the british public some of the best TV they are ever likely to see. Not only are the documentaries and cultural programs excellent but also the entertainment programs have become landmark watching the world over. Programs like Fawlty Towers, Monty Python, Blackadder just to name a few were all BBC programmes.

The Beeb also acts as a vast educational resource that offers hours of educational programs for children and adults EVERY day.

Then there is the fact that on none of these mediums are we inflicted with advertising. Programs are never interupted or sponsored. The whole thing is real.

Now some people pay more than £8.96 to get Sky Movies or some sports channel. If I were one of them I'd feel a bit cheated.

Don't be too quick to judge especially if you are in the US. The BBC that you are able to watch there is quite different to the real thing. It has been condensed and "catered" to the american market (whatever that means).

Those are my thoughts. I'm sure some people will disagree but they would be wrong

 

[Bliss]

I don't think you said anything too disagreeable, Flaggbert.

For the little television our household does watch, I much prefer paying $40 per month to choose between 100+ digital tv and music channels. When a stupid ad pops on, that's what the old clicker is for. Especially the Discovery Channel's self promotion ads of "buzzzzz buzzzz buzzzzz" and "ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh the atmosphere". Trust me, you don't want to know.

I lived the poor college student's life long enough, I can't live with just the information the three (yes, now four, five if an antenae happens to pick up WB) networks want to forcefeed. I like getting to choose rather than some power that be having the say so.

We get at least 6 networks dedicated to cultural and educational programming, but I digress, we're a wasteland of underacheiving lemmings.

PS
Fawlty Towers, Monty Python and so on are still BBC programs. Every time they rerun on PBS (or MTV, scary!) the producers get paid licensing fees again, and again. So, while that goes toward keeping your entertainment forever ad free, we sit through even more ads, or even worse with PBS, pledge drives.

 

[Flagg]

I agree that it is good to have a choice and I certainly don't think we should be limited to just the BBC. We also have 100 odd channels here in the UK. My point I guess is that the BBC is excellent value for money considering.

P.S. Where did the "flaggbert" thing come from? Am I missing some crucial cultural reference here?

 

[Dixon Carter Lee]

Sounds like a Dilbert reference. A comic strip character who has a dog called, let me get this right - Dogbert. Just guessing, but I don't think it has anything to do with the strip, per sey, I think Payne just like the sound of the suffix "bert".

Those Discovery Channel promos are odd, aren't they? My son likes them, though.

"The Atmosphere! Ooooooo! The Atmosphere! Ooooooooo!"

Signed,

Dixonbert

 

[Bliss]

Hells Bells, I had a phone call and so there ya go, DCL answered you, mostly. He forgot catbert and ratbert, but that's aight. I'll just dollop Miracle Whip on his nose.