The Fed Shutdown Poll and Megathread

[Razgovory]

How is it bullshit? How do you think the country got electricity and telephone service? The Government made companies provide it. Broadband is just as valuable a tool today if not more then the telephone was 70 years ago.

I've never seen evidence that Federal rural electrification or telephone subsidies made sense from an economic standpoint. The studies I have seen indicate that the service would have been provided anyway as costs came down.  I suspect the same is true of cable TV (which was never federally subsidized, as far as I know, and reaches rural areas around here) and broadband.

So when would rural areas get electricity?  1970?  1980?  There are lots of areas around here that get neither broadband or cable.

[Neil]

How is it bullshit? How do you think the country got electricity and telephone service? The Government made companies provide it. Broadband is just as valuable a tool today if not more then the telephone was 70 years ago.

I've never seen evidence that Federal rural electrification or telephone subsidies made sense from an economic standpoint. The studies I have seen indicate that the service would have been provided anyway as costs came down.  I suspect the same is true of cable TV (which was never federally subsidized, as far as I know, and reaches rural areas around here) and broadband.

I think it was the social utility that was the driving force.

[Barrister]

How is it bullshit? How do you think the country got electricity and telephone service? The Government made companies provide it. Broadband is just as valuable a tool today if not more then the telephone was 70 years ago.

I've never seen evidence that Federal rural electrification or telephone subsidies made sense from an economic standpoint. The studies I have seen indicate that the service would have been provided anyway as costs came down.  I suspect the same is true of cable TV (which was never federally subsidized, as far as I know, and reaches rural areas around here) and broadband.

I know of substantial rural areas that do not get cable.

[Tonitrus]

How is it bullshit? How do you think the country got electricity and telephone service? The Government made companies provide it. Broadband is just as valuable a tool today if not more then the telephone was 70 years ago.

I've never seen evidence that Federal rural electrification or telephone subsidies made sense from an economic standpoint. The studies I have seen indicate that the service would have been provided anyway as costs came down.  I suspect the same is true of cable TV (which was never federally subsidized, as far as I know, and reaches rural areas around here) and broadband.

I know of substantial rural areas that do not get cable.

Someone hundreds of miles out in the Yukon I think may still qualify as "wilderness" and not "rural".

[Neil]

Someone hundreds of miles out in the Yukon I think may still qualify as "wilderness" and not "rural".

I think Whitehorse can be described as 'rural'.  It's a small town.

[Tonitrus]

Someone hundreds of miles out in the Yukon I think may still qualify as "wilderness" and not "rural".

I think Whitehorse can be described as 'rural'.  It's a small town.

I agree.  I was thinking more of smaller places outside of WH, not including the stops along the Al-Can.

[grumbler]

Someone hundreds of miles out in the Yukon I think may still qualify as "wilderness" and not "rural".

I think Whitehorse can be described as 'rural'.  It's a small town.

According to the Yellow Pages there are two cable TV companies serving Whitehorse.
http://www.yellowpages.ca/search/si/1/Cable+Television+Companies/Whitehorse+YT

[Hansmeister]

Apparently Obama is going to give a new speech on reducing the deficit on Wednesday.  I guess he is going to ask for a Mulligan on his extremely unserious budget proposal from last month.

My oh my how fast things change.

[Admiral Yi]

According to a White House spokesman Obama now considers his 2006 vote to not lift the debt ceiling a mistake.

Woops.

[CountDeMoney]

According to a White House spokesman Obama now considers his 2006 vote to not lift the debt ceiling a mistake.

Woops.

I'm sure the crash of 2008 changed a lot of opinions on how to deal with the economy.  Except for you and Hans, of course.

[Admiral Yi]

According to a White House spokesman Obama now considers his 2006 vote to not lift the debt ceiling a mistake.

Woops.

I'm sure the crash of 2008 changed a lot of opinions on how to deal with the economy.  Except for you and Hans, of course.

By quoting my post then typing your own you're suggesting there's some connection between the two, right?

[Neil]

According to a White House spokesman Obama now considers his 2006 vote to not lift the debt ceiling a mistake.

Woops.

I'm sure the crash of 2008 changed a lot of opinions on how to deal with the economy.  Except for you and Hans, of course.

The people who wanted to privatize social security before the crash aren't the sorts of people we should be listening to when it comes to economics.

[CountDeMoney]

According to a White House spokesman Obama now considers his 2006 vote to not lift the debt ceiling a mistake.

Woops.

I'm sure the crash of 2008 changed a lot of opinions on how to deal with the economy.  Except for you and Hans, of course.

By quoting my post then typing your own you're suggesting there's some connection between the two, right?

I don't answer loaded Yi questions.  That's an IYiD just waiting to detonate.

[Admiral Yi]

I don't answer loaded Yi questions.  That's an IYiD just waiting to detonate.

Run away!  Run away!

[dps]

How is it bullshit? How do you think the country got electricity and telephone service? The Government made companies provide it. Broadband is just as valuable a tool today if not more then the telephone was 70 years ago.

I've never seen evidence that Federal rural electrification or telephone subsidies made sense from an economic standpoint. The studies I have seen indicate that the service would have been provided anyway as costs came down.  I suspect the same is true of cable TV (which was never federally subsidized, as far as I know, and reaches rural areas around here) and broadband.

I know of substantial rural areas that do not get cable.

I suspect that Canada is different than the U.S. in that regard, then.  Here, many rural areas and small towns got cable before the cities, because the cities tended to have multiple broadcast stations and you didn't need cable to pick them up.