----- Original Message ----- From: Mike Dial <mdial@wans.net> To: Aaron Neugarten <nugleybear@aol.com> Sent: Saturday, May 22, 1999 12:02 PM Subject: Fw: Greg Shepardson <gshepardson@theamericagroup.com>: FW: > > >Now for a tidbit of information .... > > > > > >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. > > > > > > > > > > > >--------- End forwarded message ---------- > > > > > >___________________________________________________________________ > > >You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. > > >Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com/getjuno.html > > >or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866] > > > >