[TriLUG] Fw: Fw: Proposed email charges from the US Postal Service!!

[David A. Cafaro]

Well you may want to forward this page to your friend:

http://hoaxbusters.ciac.org/HBUrbanMyths.shtml#emailtax

Yes it is another Hoax, been around for a couple of 
years.  http://hoaxbusters.ciac.org is a great site to cross check these 
things.

Cheers,
David


At 08:22 PM 2/25/2002, al johson wrote:
>Normally, I don't forward messages like this one. But I'm making an 
>exception because I received it from a very reputable source. Naturally, 
>this would impact the whole Interenet in an extremely negative manner. 
>Basically, the U.S. PostOffice wants the govt to levy a tax for them on 
>every email we send (and receive), and there is a bill in Congress!!---AL 
>Johnson.
>=================================
>----- Original Message -----
>From: <mailto:jimmyh at graphicsink.com>Jimmy Harmon
>To: <mailto:alfjon at mindspring.com>al johnson
>Sent: Monday, February 25, 2002 6:00 PM
>Subject: Fwd: Fw: Proposed email charges
>
>
>Begin forwarded message:
> >
>Subject: Fw: Proposed email charges
>
>
>This alert on Federal Bill 602p was sent to me by a friend.  You may 
>already be aware of it...I was not.  Any kind of a Federal Government 
>charge on Internet use as per 602p or some variation thereof would be most 
>unfortunate.  It certainly is worth our attention as spelled out at the 
>end of the message.
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: <?color><?param 1999,1999,FFFF>NAVDAD at aol.com<?/color>
>To: <?color><?param 1999,1999,FFFF>ASFair55 at aol.com<?/color>
>Sent: Sunday, February 24, 2002 10:45 PM
>Subject: Proposed email charges
>
><?fontfamily><?param Arial><?smaller>Federal Bill 602p
>
>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.
>
>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!
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
><?/smaller><?/fontfamily>