Fwd: VOTE NO ON BILL 602P!!!!

lotust

Diamond Member
Aug 19, 2000
9,025
0
76
Does this sound like crap? Is it real? the following message I recived in a E mail today.


"> > VOTE NO ON Bill 602P!!!!
> > >
> > > Guess the warnings were true. Federal Bill 602P 5-cents per
> > > E-mail sent.
> > >
> > > It figures! No more free E-mail! We knew this was coming!!
> > > Bill 602P will permit the Federal Government to charge a 5-cent
> > > charge on every delivered E-mail.
> > >
> > > Please read the following carefully if you intend to stay
> > > online 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 our use of the Internet.
> > >
> > > Under proposed legislation, the US Postal Service will be
> > > attempting to bill E-mail users out of "alternative postage
fees".
> > > Bill 602P will permit the Federal Government to charge a 5-cent
> > > surcharge on every E-Mail delivered, 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 US Postal Service is claiming 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 person received
about
> > > 10 pieces of E-mail per day in 1998, the cost of the typical
> > > individual would be an additional 50 cents a day - or over
> > > $180 per year - above and beyond their regular Internet costs.
> > >
> > > Note that this would be money paid directly to the US Postal
> > > Service for a service they do not even provide. The whole point
of
> > > the Internet is democracy and non-interference. 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 coast to coast. If the US Postal Service is
> > > allowed to tinker with E-mail, it will mark the end of the
"free"
> > > Internet in the United States.
> > >
> > > Our congressional representative, Tony Schnell (R) has even
> > > suggested a "$20-$40 per month surcharge on all Internet
service"
> > > above and beyond the governments proposed E-mail charges
> > > Note that most of the major newspapers have ignored the story
> > > the only exception being the Washingtonian - which called the
> > > idea of E-mail surcharge "a useful concept who's time has
> > > come" (March 6th, 1999 Editorial). Do not sit by and watch your
> > > freedom erode away!
> > >
> > > Send this E-mail to EVERYONE on your list, and tell all your
> > > friends and relatives to write their congressional
representative
> > > and say "NO" to Bill 602P. It will only take a few moments of
> > > your time and could very well be instrumental in killing a bill
we
> > > do not want. PLEASE FORWARD!
> > > >>"
 

jadinolf

Lifer
Oct 12, 1999
20,952
3
81
This is bogus. Of course, most of you already know that since it's been going around for years.

Also there is no 602P.
 

Double Trouble

Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
9,270
103
106
One of many hoaxes floating around. First off, if doesn't sound right, it's bogus. Even easier though: if something asks you to forward it to a bunch of other people, it's a hoax or virus.
 

yakko

Lifer
Apr 18, 2000
25,455
2
0
Just think what that would do to Anandtech if it were true wnd we all decided to subscribe to every thread. The huge nef thread from the other day sent out 2700 emails to pretender alone which is $135.
 

LadieKadie

Senior member
Mar 10, 2000
324
0
0
OK Paulson....so why didn't you do it for me! LOL!

I've been out of here for a long time and came back in to catch up and found a whole new set of linking options....just throw a wrench in my system and I fall apart.

Okay, try this one:

False Rumors

If this link fails, I'm going back into my hole.
 

piku

Diamond Member
May 30, 2000
4,049
1
0
Hmm... I wouldn't mind paying 5 cents an email so that I never, ever, get spam again.

I probably send like 2 emails a week. I use ICQ for everything else.

There are plenty of other ways to contact people than e-mail.
 

yakko

Lifer
Apr 18, 2000
25,455
2
0
piku,

I would use an instant messaging program to limit my emails if I didn't work such odd hours. Most of my friends are asleep when I get home at 2 am.
 

goldboyd

Golden Member
Oct 12, 1999
1,932
0
0
I believe when Algore invented the internet, he planned on eventually charging for every email sent.
 

etech

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
10,597
0
0
It's only the newbies or the clueless who get sucked in by these bogus emails.


Welcome back LadieKadie. Nice to see you around the boards again.
 

etech

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
10,597
0
0
lotust, actually I assumed you were the new one since I didn't remember seeing many of your posts. No insult to you was intended in any way.
 

Russ

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
21,093
3
0
How do these things stay alive? I still get this one at least once a month at at least one of my eMail addresses. It's been over a year since it was first revealed to be a hoax, yet it seems to have taken on a life of it's own, and just keeps going on and on. Weird.

Russ, NCNE
 

lotust

Diamond Member
Aug 19, 2000
9,025
0
76
etech, Its ok ;) you were right about 1 thing I am a newbie. I got my first computer in December of 99. Man have I learned a lot.
 

skemlawn

Senior member
Oct 10, 1999
347
0
0
Actually it sounds like something the government would do to us. I believed it the first time I saw it.
 

LadieKadie

Senior member
Mar 10, 2000
324
0
0
Thanks Etech, it's good to be back. I wasn't sure if I'd be recognized, as I've noticed lots of new faces around here and also many old ones as well.

I had a busy summer with my family and a busy fall season so far getting the boys back in school. My computer was on the fritz for a couple of weeks in the interim, and since I refuse to take it to someone for repair, I did it myself which took twice the time. By my linking up there, I'm sure you understand. :)

I had a lot of catching up to do. I even had to do a search to find out what the heck happened around here with WW and Denil...LOL. How awesome when I stumbled on the "coming out" post. I don't know if either of you will see this, but huge congratulations to you both. Love is the greatest feeling, and two nice people get to wallow in it...tis grand indeed.

 

AndrewR

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
11,157
0
0
Actually, the question about "Bill 602p" (which isn't a real Congressional bill number) was asked of Hillary Clinton and Lazio in their debate. Neither of them knew that it was a hoax, which is fairly sad.
 

kranky

Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
21,019
156
106
To Russ' point, what keeps these things alive is the steady influx of newbies to AOL (and the net in general) along with a lot of people who barely use the net.

My parents have been online for two years. In that time they probably have sent 50 emails - but received tons from people they know who are much more net-savvy. Then one day they get one of these urban legends from a relatively clueless person, and BAM! Time to spring into action - forward to everyone! Since nearly all the people who send them email know enough not to fall for these, my parents hardly ever get one. It's still a new experience for them after two years.

Where most of the people here would know to check out snopes.com or urbanlegends.about.com first, a lot of people forward without thinking. Just last week I got a virus hoax email (It takes guts to say Jesus) from my sister who's been a programmer for 10 years. It took me two minutes to find on Symantec that it was a hoax and emailed her the link back, and I demanded she send it also to everyone she forwarded the hoax to. She knows better than to blindly forward, but she said she was too busy to check. Bah.
 

jamesglewisf

Junior Member
Oct 10, 2000
15
0
0
That NY debate question about this hoax was a riot! I don't know who it looked more dumb: Clinton, Lazio, or the person who asked the question.