First reactions

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I'm new to this so the reactions are derived more from experience than
the specifics of this discussion.  Background:  manufacturer jet
engines and computers; president scale company; hospital trustee;
independent school trustee.

The "further comments" section is incomprehensible geek talk to a
newcomer.  The daily digests reveal more recognizable human concerns
and ambitions.  For me there are disturbine threads in both.

1.  We seem to be trying to impose rational social/political structure
on top of an evolving growing weed-like phenomenon.  By our
impositionof premature structure we can easily inhibit/prohibit future
constructive evolution.

2.  "Universal" is a politically popular pandering term for which we
can never state the costs.  They always grow far beyond our beginning
imaginations.

3.  "Subsidies" are not.  They are cost-shifting devices employed by
governing bodies to assert influence far beyond that which would be
allowed if anyone really knew the total cost before the system
floundered in its excess.  I will simply recognize the health care
"system" of this country as example without feeling any need to justify
analogy.

With apologies for not clipping the sources of these clips from the
digests, I applaud Wisconsin for trying to inhibit the cost-shift:
"discounts for schools were "meaningless." The reason he gave, was that
in states like Wisconsin, state law prohibits telecommunications
companies from charging different rates for the same service to
different customers."

My recognition of cost-shift rather than subsidy is not a unique
insight of mine:  "As I'm sure you are aware, the Universal Service
legislation establishes a Universal Service Fund from which
telecommunication carriers will be able to be made whole for whatever
discounts are legislated.  The fund will be generated by a surcharge on
customers telecommunication bills."

When we know this going in, why do we allow ourselves to overindulge?
Something for nothing?  Everything for everybody?  Focus?  Specialize?

--
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K.F.Hammer Associates                           Ken Hammer
management consultations          St. Johnsbury, VT  05819
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*MR/2 ICE Tag: Bad or missing mouse driver.  Spank the cat? (Y/n)

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