Now do you see why so many were against the stimulus and are today fighting against nationalized health care? A huge part of the stimulus was just pork, a couple of billion for a commission to figure out to provide "sustainable, affordable broadband access". We need to pay that much just for a commission to study it? This is just the first part, $350 million to "map" what we already know. Then the commission will have to "study" the matter and order more useless surveys and papers. Then debate will begin and more meetings will be scheduled along with more studies and more reports and more paperwork. Finally, the commission will use up all of the billions assigned to it years in the future, which will be outdated and useless since new developments will have popped up.
In short, I can sum up what this commission will spend billions to figure out. I bet the final report will state the following, "Although significant progress has been made in terms of broadband accessibility, more must be done to make sure the underprivileged are not left out. While further research in this area is needed along with additional funding before a definitive solution can be found, the commission recommends the following:
1) Give more money to the poor so they can buy broadband.
2) Give more money to cable and DSL operators so they can connect the poor.
3) give more money to us so we can do another study and continue this useless commission.
4) Create a new "Bureau of Internet Access" so that we have jobs after this commission is disbanded, if it is ever disbanded.
5) The government is currently not spending enough money on providing sustainable and affordable broadband access. People are suffering and are dying in the streets, kids are growing increasingly illiterate and violent without broadband. Action must be taken immediately or else our children will become nothing more than stone age Neanderthals.
6) The government must spend more or else the world will end.
The government is the ultimate scam, making us pay so they can run around pretending to work. Enough is enough, no more stimulus, no more government health care, no more carbon credits and stealth taxes.
When we're all having to cut back thanks to the recession, when will it be time for the government to cut back? Tax Payers Unite!