posted on June 14, 2002 02:29:47 PM new
THIS IS SOME VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION THAT I RECEIVED THIS MORNING
FROM A CO-WORKER AND I AM FORWARDING IT ON TO YOU.
Postage will go up the end of June 2002 from 34 cents to 37 cents. It
will be from 9% to 12% rate increase.
But this isn't all. No more free E-mail! We knew this was coming - Bill
602P will permit the Federal Government to charge a 5-cent charge on
every Delivered E-mail.
Please read the following carefully if you intend to stay online and
continue using E-mail. The last few months have revealed an alarming
trend in the Government of the United States attempting to quietly push
through legislation that will affect our use of the Internet.
Under proposed legislation, the US Postal Service will be attempting to
bill E-mail users out of "alternative postage fees." Bill 602P will
permit the Federal Government to charge a 5-cent surcharge on every e-mail
delivered, by billing Internet Service Providers at source. The consumer
would then be billed in turn by the ISP.
Washington DC lawyer Richard Stepp is working without pay to prevent
this legislation from becoming law. The US Postal Service is claiming lost
revenue, due to the proliferation of E-mail, is costing nearly
$230,000,000 in revenue per year. You may have noticed their recent ad campaign:
"There is nothing like a letter."
Since the average person received about 10 pieces of E-mail per day in
1998, the cost of the typical individual would be an additional 50 cents
a day or over $180 per year -- above and beyond their regular Internet
costs.
Note that this would be money paid directly to the US Postal Service for
a service they do not even provide. The whole point of the Internet is
democracy and noninterference. You are already paying an exorbitant
price for snail mail because of bureaucratic inefficiency.
It currently takes up to 6 days for a letter to be delivered from coast
to coast. If the US Postal Service is allowed to tinker with E-mail it will
mark the end of the "free" Internet in the United States. Congressional
representative, Tony Schnell (R) has even suggested a "$20-$40 per month
surcharge on all Internet service" above and beyond the governments
proposed E-mail charges. Note that most of the major newspapers have
ignored the story the only exception being the Washingtonian which
called the idea of E-mail surcharge "a useful concept who's time has come"
(March 6th, 1999 Editorial). Do not sit by and watch your freedom erode away!
Send this E-mail to EVERYONE on your list, and tell all your friends and
relatives to write their congressional representative and say "NO" to
Bill 602P. It will only take a few moments of your time and could very well
be instrumental in killing a bill we do not want. PLEASE FORWARD!
posted on June 19, 2002 09:28:53 AM new
I am FOREVER getting these stupid "urban legends," e-mails and I wonder why the sender doesn't check such before they send it out. Personally, I'd be embarrassed to send out something which, in reality, makes absolutely no sense. I suppose it must be the desire to be the first with the "news," regardless of whether or not it is factual, or perhaps newbies who don't yet realize there are endless "hoax e-mails."
