Federal Bill 602P - $.05 per email... Is this True?

[tripinchick]

I was just emailed this... If it is true copy and email to everyone you know. If its bull...sorry for takin up your time.

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VOTE NO ON Bill 602P!

I guess the warnings were true. Federal Bill 602P 5-cents per E-mail Sent. It figures! 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. This is another typical Federal Government money grab. Washingtonopposes sales tax on internet sales. The tax should go to the STATE where the sale occurs. What kind of self serving hypocrisy is it to say "we can not charge sales tax internet sales because it will kill the internet" and turn around and say we must tax the internet to subsidize the post office. Where are those who raised such a stink about the sales tax issue?

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 freedom of communication.

You are already paying an exorbitant price for snail mail because of bureaucratic efficiency. 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. Our congressional representative,Tony Schnell ® 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!

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** Shake It Baby **

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-Tchick

[misskittie]

I was sent that in an email over a year ago and wrote to my senators. I dont really know how legit it is but it figures they would put a tax on emails too...

[trance604]

That simply cannot work. First off, 5 C is too much. People would stop using email and go back to phones, which are much cheaper. Too much business these days is carried out by email..all that would go back to telephone. i have been emailed that for several months, its a rumor..people have nothing better to do with their time i suppose.

[Guest crystalmethodny]

I think its absolutely stupid.

If the Government pulls this one off, then its getting oppressive.

Personally, I'm trying to figure out just how they can regulate that and keep tabs on it? How many service providers are out there? It would take a supercomputer the size of a death star with more internet lines then we have drug users in this world to monitor it?

-CM

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"We're going to build things up slowly... are you with me? Here we go."

[tripinchick]

ok... I got some more news on this. Most likely its bull.

If there is any truth to the matter it is that the US Postal Service will charge for emails being sent from their site, which they are going to establish. But that's not good either cause if they start charging, who is to stop anyone else from jumping on the band wagon.

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** Shake It Baby **

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-Tchick