BY RUSSELL TURNER
CONSTANT TINKERING
Over the years I have seen guys that like to tinker with their cars. It is easy to identify them; usually they will have the hood up on their car whether they are at home or at the local Wal-Mart parking lot. Most of the time they will be huddled over the motor with a screwdriver and a pair of pliers in hand. The car may be running fine for most people, but they feel that they can make it run a little better. Sometimes they may make it run a little better, but I have also noticed that all of that constant tinkering can be counter productive; I have found that it is very easy to get a well performing machine out of balance and it doesn’t run as well as it did before the tinkering. Our government could take a good lesson about tinkering with something and having to deal with the unintended consequences.
The Internet has been one of the best things ever invented to allow average people access to information and communication across the world. For all practical purposes it is the ultimate source of free speech. If you want to know the facts on current issues or to know how your elected official is voting, that information is only a few keystrokes away. Some politicians want to keep the voter in the dark as to how they vote, and the Internet is a huge source of light. There is a move by the FCC and the President to impose a plan referred to as “Net Neutrality,” it involves declaring the Internet a “public utility” and gives the FCC the power to decide what Internet service providers can charge and how they operate. This is not only a direct attack on the free market, but it will also result in an increase in Internet access fees for millions of consumers in America. It’s a massive tax on the middle class, plain and simple.
The class in this country that wants to rule the rest of us would like to treat us like a mushroom; “keep us in the dark and spread manure on us”. The Internet is working just fine; many in the political class do not like the openness of their actions. The more red tape that people who want to use the Internet have to go through, the less they will use it. Sadly there has not been much information on the news about this freedom grab, on February 26th the FCC plans to vote onwhether or not the government should take their usual heavy handed approach to controlling the Internet or do the right thing and leave it alone. Free markets are worth preserving; tell all of your elected leaders to do all things possible to keep the government out of the Internet. People in government need to learn a lesson from the auto tinkering, messing with the Internet can and probably will foul up a well-balanced system. Contrary to popular belief in the government arena, government doesn’t have to be involved in all aspects of our lives.
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