I was on the Internet this morning checking up on
the news and was watching the "Grapevine" segment from Special
Report. Brett Baier wrapped it up with a segment about a reporter who
represented herself honestly as non-welfare recipient at several New York food
stamp offices. She indicated she had a job and was approached outside by
vendors who eventually issued her three government cell phones out of 8
applications submitted.
So I watched her interview with Greta and found out
there at the bottom of my phone bill there is a charge "Federal Universal
Service Fee"
Here's a copy of my one land-line phone bill with
the Federal Universal Service Fee for $2.08. This is the fee that goes
toward the free phone program started in 1985 (I didn't even have a cell phone
in 1985, I got my first cordless phone in 1992 as a Christmas gift and thought
I died and went to heaven).
But wait it gets better, when I check my cell
phone bill, I am charged an additional $0.72 cents for every cell phone number
I have. A family of four with a group plan will pay an additional $2.88
per month. Add that to the one land line and it accrues to $59.52 -
rounded up to $60.00 a year.
Take that a step further and I have paid some
where in the neighborhood of $1,200 over the past 28 years. You may say
that doesn't add up to much over such a long span of time but I was never
asked to pay this, I never gave my consent to participate in this program,
this was not an optional charitable contribution. They robbed me
to give someone else a phone. I don't know about you but I
consider that theft by the phone company and the federal government.
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| Click the link to watch the segment from On the Record |
By JG
© 2013 BiGWand. All rights reserved.
Please know that a program called eRate is also funded by this fee - and has been for many years. This program has brought Internet connectivity to public schools and libraries across the country. As a result, 99% of school have Internet access today. Let's be careful not to throw out the baby with the bathwater.
ReplyDeleteDon't want to throw out the baby with the bath water. However, one of methods the government uses to raise taxes in all areas of our lives is to tie it to education. Why? Because if a tax is tied to the education of our children people are afraid to speak out against the taxation. Along with the example cited in this post, a Meals Tax proposal is on the table in both Chesterfield and Henrico Counties. They say “Funds from a meals tax will be solely dedicated for our school system.” How long will those funds really go to the schools? It always gets diverted.
DeleteWe hear you on the merit of your argument, but overall tax rates in America, with these "little" taxes on our every day bills, are creeping to the 50% and higher rate for many Americans who are just trying live their lives. And, I won't go into the waste I have uncovered in my own school district (after attending ONE budget meeting) that could cover the internet fees these taxes claim to pay. That is for another blog series.
Oh, here is the article link about the Meals Tax.
Deletehttp://www.timesdispatch.com/news/local/chesterfield/chesterfield-halves-meals-tax-proposal/article_957e696b-3de6-5873-9391-b886af754b2c.html