Hoax, definitely. Before forwarding things like this on to everyone you know, please stem the tide of insanity by checking up on it in places like this: http://www.nonprofit.net/hoax/hoax.html I'm still waiting on my free to trip to Disneyworld. Paul Graeber wrote: > > >> Please read the following information carefully if you intend to >> stay on-line 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 your use of the Internet. >> >> Under proposed legislation the U.S. Postal Service will be >> attempting to >> bilk e-mail users out of "alternate postage fees." Bill 602P will >> permit >> the Federal Government to charge a 5 cent surcharge on every e-mail >> delivered. They will accomplish this 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 U.S. Postal Service is >> claiming that 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 citizen received about 10 pieces of e-mail per day >> in 1998, the cost to the typical individual would be an additional >> 50 cents per day, or over $180 dollars per year, above and beyond >> their regular Internet costs. Note that this would be money paid >> directly to the U.S. Postal Service for a service they do not even >> provide. The whole point of the Internet is democracy and >> noninterference. If the Federal Government is permitted to tamper >> with our: liberties by adding a surcharge to e-mail, who knows where >> it will end. >> >> 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 New York to Buffalo. If the U.S. Postal Service is >> allowed to tinker with e-mail, it will mark the end of the "free" >> Internet in the United States. One congressman, Tony Schnell has >> even suggested "twenty to forty dollar per month surcharge on all >> Internet service" above and beyond the government's proposed e-mail >> charges. Note that most of the major newspapers have ignored this >> story, the only exception being the Washingtonian which called the >> idea of e-mail surcharge "a useful concept whose time has come." >> (March 6th 1999 Editorial) >> >> Don't sit by and watch your freedom erode away! Send this email to >> all >> Americans on your list and tell your friends and relatives to write >> to >> their congressman and say "No!" to Bill 602P. >> >> Initiated by: Kate Turner >> Assistant to Richard Stepp, Berger, Stepp and >> Gorman >> Attorneys at Law >> 216 Concorde Street, >> Vienna, VA >> >> Please forward this to everyone that you can! >> >
This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC