No, it's not, and no, they aren't. http://www.urbanlegends.com/ulz/emailtax.html
That took, oh, about 60 seconds worth of searching to find. Please think a little harder before pressing "send". Seriously, if you ever get this kind of mail, take 30 seconds to go to http://www.urbanlegends.com and do a quick search. Bill Jason Birchmeier wrote: > > ...don't let the system oppress you. > ...this goes against everything the internet was designed for. > ...another attempt by our government to take advantage of the innovators. > > -----Original Message----- > From: Stern. Mike Stern. [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Friday, March 31, 2000 2:09 PM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: The Most Important Email EVER > > Hi folks. > > I apologize for clogging your email boxes but this email concerns everyone > and anyone who has an email box. Please read below to the email kindly > sent out to me by FV Alumni Alex Wright with regard to how your > congressmen are about to vote on a bill which would effectively destroy > email as we now know it. > > Take a minute of your time to read this and please don't RESPOND TO ALL if > you have half a brain in your head. Thanks. > > Mike Stern > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > Date: Fri, 31 Mar 2000 > > Subject: Re: Expensive e-mails > > > > CNN has reported that within the next two weeks Congress is going to > > vote on allowing > > telephone companies to CHARGE A TOLL FEE for Internet access. > > > > Translation: Every time we send a long distance e-mail we will receive a > > long distance charge. This > > will get costly. Please visit the following web site and file a complaint > to > > your Congress person. We > > can't allow this to pass! The following address will allow you to send an > > e-mail on this subject DIRECTLY to your > > Congress person. > > > > http://www.house.gov/writerep > > > > Pass this on to your friends. It is urgent! > > > > I hope all of you will pass this on to all your friends and family. We > > should ALL have an interest in > > this one. > > > > WAIT, THERE'S MORE! IN ADDITION, 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 US > > 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 the 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 that lost revenue due to > the > > proliferation of > > e-mail 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 US 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 bureaucratic inefficiency. It currently takes up to 6 days for a letter > > to be delivered from New York to Buffalo. If the > > US 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 whose time has come" (March 6th, > > 1999 Editorial). > > > > Don't sit by and watch your freedoms erode away! Send this e-mail to > > EVERYONE on your list, > > and tell all your friends and relatives to write to their Congressperson > 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 don't > > want. > > > > PASS THIS ON TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW WHO USES EMAIL > > > > REMEMBER THESE ARE TWO SEPARATE ISSUES THAT AFFECT ALL OF US ONLINE. > > > > LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD.. > > > > alexander wright > 518 n. state st. > ann arbor mi 48104 > 734 327 4065 > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > --------------------------------------------------------------------- > To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- AppNet Detroit [formerly sigma6] http://www.sigma6.com http://www.chromedecay.org
