Stealing cable from the poor

[boedicca]

How about all these poor people put up an antenna and watch local FREE stations. Why should the gov. (us) pay for cable when FREE is available.

Given that full analog spectrum ended in 2009, do antennas even work anymore in most areas?

 

[VaYank5150]

How about all these poor people put up an antenna and watch local FREE stations. Why should the gov. (us) pay for cable when FREE is available.

Given that full analog spectrum ended in 2009, do antennas even work anymore in most areas?

Yes they do. You simply have to buy a converter for the transmitted digital signals. Again, no need for the Cable comodity.

 

[boedicca]

Oh. So I guess we can expect a Free Converters For The Poor program to subsidize the antenna industry.

 

[uscitizen]

How about all these poor people put up an antenna and watch local FREE stations. Why should the gov. (us) pay for cable when FREE is available.

Ohh I expect that the cable companies lobbied for it. Pork for the cable companies?

Why would they lobby to get taxed?

If they did, why didn't they get pissed when the state didn't follow through?

Perhaps their state gave them another bone. Endorsing them buying NBC?

 

[Foxfyre]

We need a non-profit public option for cable/satellite tv. Seriously.

Ummmm....WHY?

Because television is little more than a basic utility now. There's no need for a cable company to be making profits. I get great electric service from a non-profit co-op whose only mandate is to break even. When they have money left over they send it back to us. There's no reason cable/satellite tv couldn't be like that.

A co-op is a small social contract--citizens banding together to create a service they all need. The citizens themselves own the property involved and set the rules for its funding and operation.

Some communities opt for a limited monopoly by which a private utility company is given exclusive right to service an area provided they allow the local government to set or approve rates, expansion, etc. This makes sense so that major infrastructure would not be produced again and again--which would be cost prohibitive anyway--and a company would not be in the position of having to provide infrastructure to a competitor. If the utility does not perform adequately, however, the city can evict it and take in another. There is certainly no expectation that the utility will not earn a profit in return for providing the service, however.

Both of these are very different from government owned and controlled property.

For the government to own and distribute cable access would be a very dangerous thing under our American principles of limited government power and freedom of speech and press. The dangers in a corrupt government machine having ability to control what you can and cannot see on television should be obvious to all.

 

[uscitizen]

I think the most common misuse of dedicated tax funds is the E911 slush fund.

heck my county (republican) started talking of cutting public library funding. Which is a seperate item on our property taxes here.
I told them fine I would just cut my property taxes I paid by a corresponding amount and got a standing ovation at the meeting.

 

[Foxfyre]

Having said that, if the government is going to collect a special tax, the people have every right to expect that the revenues will be used for what they were collected for. If circumstances make that impractical or unfeasible, the money should be returned to the taxpayer or at the very least, a referendum issue should be put on the next ballot so the people can choose what will be done with that money.

 

[Two Thumbs]

Ohh I expect that the cable companies lobbied for it. Pork for the cable companies?

Why would they lobby to get taxed?

If they did, why didn't they get pissed when the state didn't follow through?

Perhaps their state gave them another bone. Endorsing them buying NBC?

Unless all the cable corps are HQed outta NJ. I'm thinking that's a long shot. And comcast is outta Philly.

meh, I think this was a good intentions kinda thing. Once they saw the tax wasn't enough to cover the cost, they just didn't bother to do away with it. (imo)

 

[Two Thumbs]

Oh. So I guess we can expect a Free Converters For The Poor program to subsidize the antenna industry.

They did. At least here in PA, you could get a free converter. The reasoning was that if the government was going to taketh, they had to also giveth.

Anyone that tries to get one now has to pony up the dough

 

[McDowell's]

I'm using my non-profit credit union as an example. They are non-profit, they pay their bills, their services are better and cheaper than a for-profit bank.

Now you tell me, in detail, why I must be making that up, since you say it can't happen.

You are making up the supposition that your credit union does not make a profit. Credit unions are not "non-profit" organizations. If you expect your credit union to exist for any period of time, then they had better make some sort of profit or "surplus". Maybe you should go to your credit union's annual meeting or ask an officer or member of the board of directors to educate you. I assure you that somewhere in their financial statements, there is some form of equity/surplus account.
should force membership in a voluntary association organization. That really does not make any sense.

You people are comically confused.

United States Code: Title 26,501. Exemption from tax on corporations, certain trusts, etc. | LII / Legal Information Institute

Wow, you're really this interested in playing a game of semantics? What you posted disproves nothing of what I said. If it would make you happy, you can simply replace profit with surplus. Either way, your credit union collects more in revenues that it pays in expenses. The only reason it is not considered a profit is because the surplus belongs to all the owners of the organization which in this case is everyone who is a member of the credit union. Just because it is not recognized as profit by the IRS does not mean it is not substantantively the exact same thing. By all means, post your credit union's last set of financial statements and prove me wrong. It should be fairly evident whether there is a surplus account. I'm assuming since you know so much about this you actually attended the last member's meeting and have a set of the financials.

 

[VaYank5150]

Oh. So I guess we can expect a Free Converters For The Poor program to subsidize the antenna industry.

They did. At least here in PA, you could get a free converter. The reasoning was that if the government was going to taketh, they had to also giveth.

Anyone that tries to get one now has to pony up the dough

They did the same thing here in VA, and I partially agreed with it, since the government mandated the switch to digital versus analog signals. This occurred under Bush, by the way....

 

[cutter]

How about all these poor people put up an antenna and watch local FREE stations. Why should the gov. (us) pay for cable when FREE is available.

Given that full analog spectrum ended in 2009, do antennas even work anymore in most areas?

the converter box is cheaper than even one month of cable. The gov. even sent out free $20. vouchers toward the purchase of one when digital TV first went into effect.

 

[boedicca]

How about all these poor people put up an antenna and watch local FREE stations. Why should the gov. (us) pay for cable when FREE is available.

Given that full analog spectrum ended in 2009, do antennas even work anymore in most areas?

the converter box is cheaper than even one month of cable. The gov. even sent out free $20. vouchers toward the purchase of one when digital TV first went into effect.

I'd rather have cable. Antennas and wires are ugly. Our neighborhood looks much better now that everything is underground.

 

[Two Thumbs]

Oh. So I guess we can expect a Free Converters For The Poor program to subsidize the antenna industry.

They did. At least here in PA, you could get a free converter. The reasoning was that if the government was going to taketh, they had to also giveth.

Anyone that tries to get one now has to pony up the dough

They did the same thing here in VA, and I partially agreed with it, since the government mandated the switch to digital versus analog signals. This occurred under Bush, by the way....

WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

BUSH, *choke* gasp* "spent" money on something he had no biz spending it on?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

I'm stunned. And you wonder why I don't call him a conservative?

 

[Two Thumbs]

Given that full analog spectrum ended in 2009, do antennas even work anymore in most areas?

the converter box is cheaper than even one month of cable. The gov. even sent out free $20. vouchers toward the purchase of one when digital TV first went into effect.

I'd rather have cable. Antennas and wires are ugly. Our neighborhood looks much better now that everything is underground.

Hold up.

Did you just say that you are ok with government spending as long as it makes things preatty?

tsk tsk

 

[boedicca]

the converter box is cheaper than even one month of cable. The gov. even sent out free $20. vouchers toward the purchase of one when digital TV first went into effect.

I'd rather have cable. Antennas and wires are ugly. Our neighborhood looks much better now that everything is underground.

Hold up.

Did you just say that you are ok with government spending as long as it makes things preatty?

tsk tsk

No. I pay for my cable and have no expectation or desire for the government to pay for it.

 

[Zoom-boing]

They delayed the switch to digital from Feb to June because not everyone had gone out and bought a converter box (even though folks were given plenty of time to do this) . . . which turns out you only need if you don't have cable because you have to use the cable companies converter boxes (Comcast here), either an On Demand box or a dta box, the otc boxes don't work with their service. <-- one hell of a long run-on sentence, eh? lol And why did they postpone the switch? Because that was right around when the stimuless was happening and they dumped another . . .was it $60 million? . . . into the switch fund via the stimuless bill.



The Black Eyed Peas better watch out, this video is in contention for worst performance too.

 

[uscitizen]

Why would they lobby to get taxed?

If they did, why didn't they get pissed when the state didn't follow through?

Perhaps their state gave them another bone. Endorsing them buying NBC?

Unless all the cable corps are HQed outta NJ. I'm thinking that's a long shot. And comcast is outta Philly.

meh, I think this was a good intentions kinda thing. Once they saw the tax wasn't enough to cover the cost, they just didn't bother to do away with it. (imo)

Each state where Comcast has a presence usually has to sign off on such things.

 

[Two Thumbs]

Perhaps their state gave them another bone. Endorsing them buying NBC?

Unless all the cable corps are HQed outta NJ. I'm thinking that's a long shot. And comcast is outta Philly.

meh, I think this was a good intentions kinda thing. Once they saw the tax wasn't enough to cover the cost, they just didn't bother to do away with it. (imo)

Each state where Comcast has a presence usually has to sign off on such things.

Oh sure. But the big money is at the HQ, not the NJ branch office.

Just seems counter productive to have yourself taxed to then provide a free service, when you can simply provide a free service to qualifying people.

*grr*

This is what happens when you mix private with the government.

 

[chanel]

Well its a stupid tax but we've got plenty of stupid taxes here in NJ. It just makes you think about how many other stupid taxes are being used to pay for other stupid things. Sorry for my stupid word choice but I'm in a pretty stupid mood today.

BTW - We also subsidize car insurance for the poor. Cuz poor people can't get jobs without cars or something... Don't get me started. Errrr!

Anyone remember the story about the PA flood tax?