[muglo] Re: ISPs
- From: "Eric D." <hideme666@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <muglo@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 26 Aug 2002 15:38:12 -0400
on 25/8/02 16:51, Martin Albinger at max@xxxxxx wrote:
> Unless you are into some really big downloads and need the "extra" speed of
> Rogers, Sympatico does just fine. I have been with them for 2-3 years and have
... that's exactly why I like real high-speed :) :) :)
> I know everyone has been railing against monopolies however sometimes there
> are
> just too many choices with too many sub choices after you sub chose something
> else I really wonder if you are getting a better deal.
The problems I've run into with monopolies is that their service sucks (what
are you going to do if you don't like their service?) and their prices are
artificially high. Bell used to charge $0.39/min prime time and $0.24 6-11.
Now their competitors have forced them down. Sprint offers $0.10/min and
$0.05/min 6-8. ... and, for a while we had the $20/month all you can call (a
marked improvement over the $200 phone bills some people used to get).
Monopolies still exists (for the most part) in high speed cable & especially
in cable TV so their service doesn't exactly warrant customer service awards
and they can still charge artificially high prices.
> I looked at cable - haven't had a TV in 12 years and dammed if I was going to
> pay an extra $150 for them to install it just because I didn't have it and all
> I
> wanted was the internet connection.
>
> With all the dot.com meltdowns us Canadians are still paying less for "high"
> speed compared to our southern friends ($45 Cdn is a lot less than $45 US).
>
> But that may be mute as my brother-in-law likes to say the net cost is still
> the same it is just that the dollars are different.
... Even in "cost-of-living" dollars we actually pay less for our fruits &
veggies (which might explain why, on the whole, we are a markedly healthier
nation). Of course, we still have the cattle farmers out west whining about
lack of rain & demanding public moneys to support their unhealthy addiction
to beef production -- if the bozos (yes, I have *little* respect for
cattle/meat farmers in Canada, and especially their marketing/misinformation
boards (yeah, butter is a wholesome food... about as wholesome as
cigarettes... be honest at least if you're going to peddle pure fat as a
"wholesome" food)) might consider getting into more sustainable agriculture
they wouldn't be quite as dependent on water, and also wouldn't be
contributing to massive obesity problems (dairy/milk/ice cream/cheese (ever
notice how the producers get rewarded with the highest prices for the most
fatty products (time for a "sin tax" on a percent fat/refined sugar basis)
(since the dairy board subsidises all milk products)), burgers ;).
This latest round of subsidy wars with the US/Europe & the drought on the
prairies is the perfect time to get the west *out* of its addiction to meat
farming (& also the marginal wheat/canola farming) & away from farming
marginal crop lands (this has been an ongoing project for years & but
unfortunately the feds are still a little too scared of the western red-neck
vote to pull the plug on subsidies to the farmers (either through tariffs to
keep prices artificially high for consumers, or through direct subsidies).
We're a northern nation with little agricultural potential -- the state of
Nebraska has more agricultural potential in its borders than our *entire*
country put together. Subsidies only do the *current* crop of farmers (pun
intended) any good -- Canadians (especially the poor in a disproportionate
manner... since a larger % of their income goes to food) subsidise farmers
both through taxes (direct subsidies) and at the supermarket (through
tariffs).
But, our veggies & fruits are cheaper (among the cheapest in the world as %
of our income) b/c we're not quite as isolationist as our neighbours to the
south & don't put as high a trade barrier on the import of foods. Now, if
Chretien is *actually* sincere in his desire to help Africa he could reduce
those tariffs to the point where it levels the playing field (of course,
keep tariffs on European/American producers high... though, of course,
this'll anger the CRAP (Reform/Alliance) party of Alberta/Sask./BC (there's
nothing Canadian about that party -- it's regional) to no end).
Aarg. Time to stop procrastinating. Bye.
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