[11686] in Commercialization & Privatization of the Internet
Re: The EFF and Universal Access -- and Andrew Carnegie
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Russell Nelson)
Wed Apr 13 19:47:03 1994
Date: Wed, 13 Apr 94 09:00 EDT
From: nelson@crynwr.com (Russell Nelson)
To: rothman@netcom.com
Cc: frezza@radiomail.net, brodsky@radiomail.net, interesting-people@eff.org,
farber@central.cis.upenn.edu, opfer@radiomail.net,
stahlman@radiomail.net, com-priv@psi.com, ggilder@mcimail.com,
barlow@eff.org, jswatz@well.sf.ca.us, kgs@panix.com,
media15@radiomail.net, spiff@radiomail.net
In-Reply-To: <2975249795.1.p00997@psilink.com> (rothman@netcom.com)
Date: Tue, 12 Apr 94 12:45:19 -0400
From: "David Rothman" <rothman@netcom.com>
Without free libraries and public schools, just how much does the vote
mean? Would you like a society in which people's exact voting power
reflected the sizes of their bank accounts?
Wow. This is way off-topic, but yes, that *would* be nice. There are
many things that are more equitably determined by price than by
voting, because price is flexible whereas voting is rigid. When we
vote for something, a simple majority of those who vote determines
what *everyone* will do. When we buy the things we want, everyone can
get what they want even if the majority does not want it. However,
voting denies everything but the one thing that passes the vote to
everyone. Yes, some things will be unavailable to some people, but
appeals to charity are always possible, or even <gack> government
subsidies if you really must.
Why must I explain basic price theory here??
Clearly, then, government has a role in making it *possible* for
*individuals* to improve themselves and vote sensibly.
Whoa, dude; weren't you listening in those civics classes you laud so
highly? The government's role is to force people to do things they
would not otherwise do. Otherwise, why have a government?
The question is: Just what's involved here beyond Plain Old
Telephone Service? I myself, just me speaking, no group, do not
think we all have a right to free HBO or even free CNN. But we
certainly are all entitled to free public schools and libraries,
and their digital equivalents.
No, David, we are all entitled to good public schools and libraries.
The question is how best to provide them.
-russ <nelson@crynwr.com> ftp.msen.com:pub/vendor/crynwr/crynwr.wav
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