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For decades, people in the US have been given a song and dance by the telecoms about how tax cuts, surcharges, and a long list of other expenses are necessary for telecoms to "invest" in infrastructure. The concessions are granted again and again, but the investments are never actually made. In all, US taxpayers have paid $400 Billion in taxes and Internet surcharges for fiber optic upgrades that never happened.
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Americans Taxed $400 Billion For Fiber Optic Internet That Doesn’t Exist
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Small change can often be found under seat cushions.
-- One of Lazarus Long's most penetrating insights
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 04 2017, @10:25PM (5 children)
Consumers flock to the cheapest option because companies decouple cost from quality as well as the fact that an increasing number of people aren't making enough to afford a decent lifestyle without cost cutting like that.
If we'd stop giving money to the rich via government handouts, the poor would have more money with which to buy things. At that point, we can start to consider whether or not people are willing to pay for quality. But, considering that right now the most expensive products aren't necessarily any different from the cheaper ones, it's hard to see a reason to buy more expensive when the quality is the same.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 04 2017, @11:14PM (2 children)
Getting a rebate of a few hundred dollars (at MOST) would not mean shit for the average family. It'd be nice, but not a world changing event that allows them to work less, educate more, and pay more for stuff. You fail basic everything, try again.
(Score: 1, Troll) by Scrutinizer on Tuesday December 05 2017, @08:15AM (1 child)
A typical productive USian hands over no less than HALF of their production to government, easily calculable by percentages of income, FICA, sales, and property taxes, along with a great many "fees".
If "costs of compliance" are added to that total, as well they should, being the cost in time and labor to do the work to comply with government demands above and beyond simple taxation, the total cost to the productive USian who buys goods and services inside the US is approximately 88% of their entire productivity.
Your government, working so very hard for you, and at such a bargain!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 06 2017, @04:26AM
Can't argue against it - must mod down!
(Score: 4, Touché) by Justin Case on Monday December 04 2017, @11:16PM (1 child)
If we'd stop giving money to the governments, they wouldn't have it to give to the corps.
(Score: 2) by dry on Tuesday December 05 2017, @06:20AM
Well that's really worked in America, every tax cut has resulted in less money being given to the corps as the American government would never borrow or print money. And they really wouldn't give away land, right a ways through your yard and various other goods.
They'd never fight another country to support some banana growers either.