(much typing that borders on wild speculation deleted...) The taxpayer's investment will be paid back many times over from higher economic activity.
In what world will that happen? Maybe you didn't get the memo, but "trickle down economics" has been shown to be just so much B.S.
Your argument is exactly what they used to say about why apartheid was needed, and also why they justified dictatorial policing - and it was very effective...
...at enforcing a whole lot of laws that actually defined apartheid. In other words, it wasn't the policing that made apartheid evil, it was the notion (codified into law) that people deserved different things because of the color of their skin. We don't have that.
What exactly do you gain by consenting to an illegal request of a power they do not have?
What you gain is the opportunity (because you didn't get shot in the head) to use the system to punish those who've abused their power. If you think that belligerence is the only proper response to such abuses, you've already lost.
How could anyone, in 2014, have thought this was acceptable?
"Acceptable"? Was the First Amendment declared null and void, while I was sleeping? What do you mean by "acceptable", mister thought-policeman?
If burning American flag, calling for killing of the sitting President, or publicly defecating on a police car is acceptable, having a book with a hare-brained bimbo as one of the characters certainly is too.
Exactly. You, and Barb, and Mattel are free to say unacceptable things all day long. You are free to try to place those utterings on any media you can find, but you are most certainly not guaranteed the right to use someone else's media for that purpose. You are also not protected from having your utterings labeled as "unacceptable", racist, misogynist, "of Satan", or any other term. Get over it.
Shouldn't you be crying into your pillow and lamenting how having a tiny penis and a small brain has handicapped you and the world is against you?
Seriously, grow up and get a life.
Penis jokes, and then it has the temerity to tell someone to "grow up"... Further comment hardly seems sporting.
Separate the ownership of the infrastructure (fibers, wires) and the ownership of the service providing regardless of area/company.
Yep. Make the infrastructure a public utility. That is the only solution that makes sense in a market where a natural monopoly exists. With a truly robust infrastructure in place, true competition can exist, on a level playing field. Of course, the so called "conservatives" will resist this at every turn, because they don't really believe in free markets, they just like to give lip service to it because it sells votes in Tea Party land like nobody's business.
And yet we have a KENYAN in the oval office. Lmfao, at least Arnie is honest about where he was born.
[citation needed]
Sorry, I know that "citation" is a big word to Tea Party types. No, it's not the thing you get for speeding.
The rules that the FCC implemented that prevents someone from saying "fuck you" on the radio, or broadcast television, came about from a single complaint back in the 70's.
Thirty years later, and four million times more complaints were filed about net neutrality, and they're still dragging their feet.
THAT should put some perspective of democracy into this.
Yeah, as in "Fuck you, citizens. We don't work for you."
Explain precisely how Republicans shut down the government. Wouldn't that be something the executive branch does?
They did it by refusing to pay the bills. Literally. Wake the fuck up and pay attention to how your country is being governed. Or were you just being deliberately disingenuous?
I don't think Congress could zero out the FCC's budget without severe repercussions.
This isn't to say that Congress WOULDN'T do this. Many politicians seem to be of the opinion "we will oppose the other party's efforts even if it means destroying the government and people's lives in the process." I almost would like to see them try this only to have it massively blow up in their face.
It hasn't yet. Indeed, it clearly has not harmed the party whose leaders clearly stated that obstructionism would be SOP for them. You go with what works. Right?
If you think the system is working, ask someone who's waiting for a prompt.
