At some point, balance must be achieved in any system, or mechanism if it is to function effectively. For the last two decades, the USA has been inundated with a propaganda that idolizes the myth of the "free" market, to the detriment of the American people.

 

 The market must be more unregulated if we are to "encourage innovation" if we are to "enccourage investment" if we are to progress upwards and spread prosperity for all.

 

Poppycock!

 

Our systems are out of balance in favor of business and we are paying a fantastic price.

 

 The unregulated market has given us a few score millionaires, and billionaires, and MILLIONS staring poverty in the face. It has stifled innovation and creativity, as companies now holding patents for multiple decades prevent others from building upon these devices and processes, and creating instead systems dedicated to protecting ones turf, one's cash cow from becoming obselete from some upstart who dares to create something new.

 

 The unregulated marketplace with it's built-in protections for the big boys has stifled the expansion of systems that could have had the entire country not just on broadband, but on superfast broadband, as companies struggle to make monopolies in high density population/profit areas, and tell those outside of these areas to go to hell.

 

 Now Congressional republicans have decided that the internet should be subject to this same madness, where high profit, entrenched companies should have preference over everyone else, thus stifiling innovation as newcomers to the business would have slower connections, less bandwidth, and those who can pay them the big bucks, and send money into thier campaigns, send them gifts, "fact" finding junkets, ect. get prefferential treatment/

 

These republicans feel regulation, or action should be avoided at all costs.

 

Inaction is a form of action - a cowardly form, but still it has an effect.

 

Ask the Judge who just ruled that not buying insurance is a form of economic action.

 

A person who refuses to buy health insurance when they are well, and cannot pay for their medical costs when they get sick, who use the emergency rooms, and seek medical help they cannot pay for, drives the costs up for everyone else as hospitals and doctors attempt to recoup their losses by raising rates for the rest of us.

Their inaction has consequences for everyone else.

 

When someone gets a taxbreak, someone else has to pay more in taxes, as government services, such as the military, police, schools, must be maintained, and are certainly not free - unless you are GE, who on five billion dollars profit paid zero taxes. Every tax break for the wealthy, means the middle class must pay more - or forego services.

 

So too does the hands off approach to business have consequences for the rest of us. The failure to regulate banks and financial institutions crashed the economy in 2007-2008, sending unemployment skyhigh, putting many companies out of business, and creating a long-term problem for the nation.

 

The hands off policy for cable and communications entites have put the USA at the bottom of the world on innovations within the communications industry, put America at the bottom of the heap when it comes to broadband penetration, and speed.

 

Many less wealthy nations have far more of their populations "connected" to the internet  - and at higher speeds.

The cost to the homeowner in Virginia to connect to the local cable accross the street runs into the thousands of dollars, the same with our electricity. A new bill in the general Assembly here in Virginia allows the telephone companies to refuse you a landline if there is cellular service available in your area.Yet these same companies use the public right of way along the highway rent free for their lines, pay no fees, nadda, nothing, zippo! Everyone else pays a fee to install anything on the right of way, every home owner, developer or business.

 

We are a "business friendly" state, with a "right to work" law -a right to lower wages, lower benefits than the states who still have collective bargaining rights.

 

In the USA when it comes to broadband, the telephone companies scream the demand is too great so it must be "rationed", there must be tiers of service so those who use more, pay more. In other countries they innovate, finding ways to increase capacity, and increase speed. Here, it's more profitable to ration, to make the system slower for those who have the audacity to be unable to afford to pay the higher prices.

 

An interesting example would be text messaging. Text messaging is essential free for phone companies, who use a system to send and recieve that is a byproduct of something they have to have in place,  -  the signal that rings your phone.

 

Unless you have the $20.00 plan in place, a text message cost you $1.99 each.

 

A 750K internet connection via wireless is $59.00 a month - for 5 gigs of data to your computer and your only other option is satellite, at 350 megs per day limit or dialup.

 

This is "deregulated" service. In countries where the service is regulated, companies make a profit, pursue innovated ways of increasing service to make the service less expensive for themselves to provide, and everybody benefits.

 

Here they simply smirk at you and  tell you to accept what they give you - and you better smile or you will be denied even that ort.