The email tax is a hoax - there is nothing to worry about =) for more info go to http://urbanlegends.tqn.com/library/ blemtax2.htm?pid=2733&cob=home (sorry, it's a rather long address) > Please read the following carefully if you intend to > > >stay online and continue using email: 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 email users > > >out of "alternate postage fees". Bill 602P will permit > > >the Federal Govt to charge a 5 cent surcharge on > > >every email delivered, by billing Internet Service > > >Providers at source. The consumer would then be > > >billed in turn by the ISP. Washington D.C. 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 email 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 email 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 > > >non-interference. If the federal government is > > >permitted to tamper with our > > >liberties by adding a surcharge to email, who knows > > >where it will end. You are already paying an > > >exorbitant price for snail mail because of bureacratic > > >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 email, it will mark > > >the end of the "free" Internet in the United States. > > >One congressman, Tony Schnell (R) has even suggested a > > >"twenty to forty dollar per month surcharge on all > > >Internet service" above and beyond the government's > > >proposed email charges. Note that most of the major > > >newspapers have ignored the story, the only exception > > >being the Washingtonian which called the idea of email > > >surcharge "a useful concept who's time has come" > > >March 6th 1999 Editorial) Don't sit by and watch your > > >freedoms 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. Kate Turner > > >Assistant to Richard Stepp, Berger, Stepp and Gorman > > >Attorneys at Law 216 Concorde Street, Vienna, Va. > > > > > >It's the action, not the fruit of the action that's > > >important. You have to do the right thing...You may > > >never know what results come from your action. But if > > >you do nothing, there will be no result. (Gandhi) > > > > > > > --------- End forwarded message ---------- > > __________________________________________________ ______________ > Get secure free e-mail that you don't need Web access to use > from Juno, the world's second largest online service. > Download your free software at http:// www.juno.com/getit.b.html. > > > --------------250F74A5703F-- > >