youbroughtheryouRiker

You're banned because the pic in your signature is too big.

Cara, I'm used to it. I've been doing this shift for 3 or so years now.

And you're banned for having too much purple.

The technology is there, we just need politicians with the guts to enact laws to require it become the standard like has been done with HDTV signals.

That's only half the battle. Part of the reason the technology is so darn expensive is because the patents themselves for the various items of technology are less than seventeen years old, which means exclusivity. If you want to build the technology in your company, you have to buy or license from the original patent holder, and they have the right to charge as much money as they want for that. And there ain't nothing anybody can do about it. A patent is a permission slip to create monopoly. That's how AT&T got so big. During the time they had protection of Bell's telephone patent (I believe AT&T was his company, or else he just licensed it to them), they worked to expand their business, and anyone who tried to copy was brought to court for patent infringement. I believe some eight hundred cases of copyright infringement were brought forth during those seventeen years. And AT&T won each and every one of those. So until the technology itself is about twenty years old, it's not going to get any cheaper to get the technology.

I think mostly greed/oil companies. But I hold some blame to the government, but NOT because of the taxes. Part of the reason this happened is because of the merger-mania of the '90s. Companies merged and got bigger while the government laid (or is it lied?) dormant. I also suspect an intentional oligopoly is a big part of it, but unfortunately, that is an INCREDIBLY difficult thing to prove in a court of law. And the DOJ's last probe into the oil industry turned up negative, which is more than just a hard pill to swallow, honestly. So, the government is to blame in the sense that they, via the FTC, allowed these mergers to occur, and also have not done their job in enforcing the anti-trust laws that are out there. If they had not allowed these mergers, the oil companies would not have gotten powerful enough to the point to where they could be doing these things.

As to the second... I don't necessarily support the government controlling the price, but I did vote yes because I think the government should go ahead with the windfall taxes, taxing the excess profits. If the companies then raise their prices to recuperate those excess profits, bring them up on charges of price fixing. There's no market-justifiable reason to raise the prices. It's only to pad the excess profits.

You're banned for mentioning "pillow," thus reminding me I'm working all night.

You're banned for leaving No Doubt about your feelings for Gwen Stefani.

7912

Purple

Nevermind

Angus

7898

You're banned for using purple text in your messages.

You're banned for not keeping me company, thus forcing me to talk to myself.

7885

You're banned for forging a chain of self-banishment.

You're banned for banning yourself.

You're banned for trying to bring this thread up.

I happen to like to have just reasons as often as possible. I think it brings the thread up a little. Even though this thread isn't really supposed to be "brought up" at all.

You're banned for getting up in arms about my being a grammar policeman (even though it's not really being upset) and yet claiming to be "Indifferent," according to your mood star. Stop sending mixed messages!

Yeah, I try not to be such a grammarian, but it makes for easy and yet also just reasons for banning people.

Oh, and you're banned for not ending your sentence with a period.

Haven't seen it. But I hope to be renting their shows on Netflix soon.

"Run, Run, Run" by the Third Rail. Very obscure song.

You're banned for your terrible grammar in the above post.

Love Monty Python

6 foot even.

Multiple. Piano, tuba and trombone.