How To Save The USA

Net Neutrality is a trendy, feel good internet cause. The gist of it is that some Internet Service providers want to be able to throttle certain kinds of network traffic to prevent things like Bit Torrent piracy from choking off other customers like small business and grandmothers doing family tree research. Blog posts talking about protecting the sacred, free nature of the internet from evil corporations make the front page of Digg almost every day.

It certainly feels right, doesn’t it? Keep things “neutral.” Keep those big evil companies out of the internet. All we need is the government to step in and… wait a second. I found a catch.

When has the government ever managed to make anything more free?

The government has ruined the mortgage industry and by extension damaged much of the economy. The public schools are a disaster. The heavily regulated automobile industry is a disaster. The regulations on the energy industry are creating artificial scarcity. It seems to me like the government destroys almost everything it touches.

So who’s behind the new wave of Net Neutrality legislation? They must be computer experts, right?

Senator Byron Dorgan

“[Dorgan] graduated from Regent High School and earned a B.S. from the University of North Dakota in 1964 and an M.B.A. from the University of Denver in 1966. Dorgan worked in management for a Denver aerospace firm, eventually earning a position training others for high ranking company positions. Senator Dorgan’s public service career began at age 26, when he was appointed to the office of State Tax Commissioner in North Dakota…”

In other words, he went right out of school into management and after a few years he was appointed to a position in government. He’s been there ever since, eventually getting a position in the House and then in the Senate.

“He has introduced, with varying levels of success, several amendments to end the U.S. prohibition on travel to Cuba, and to terminate funds for anti-Castro broadcasting.” Hey thanks for that. Let’s make things easier on dictators and thugs.

Byron Dorgan is a career politician with almost no experience in the private sector, or as I call it “Real Life.” Yet look at all the positions he holds in the Senate.

Committee on Appropriations

• Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
• Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
• Subcommittee on Defense
• Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development (Chairman)
• Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies
• Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies

Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

• Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security
• Subcommittee on Science, Technology, and Innovation (Chairman)
• Subcommittee on Science, Technology, and Innovation
• Subcommittee on Space, Aeronautics, and Related Agencies
• Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety and Security

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

• Subcommittee on Energy (Chairman)
• Subcommittee on National Parks
• Subcommittee on Water and Power

Committee on Indian Affairs (Chairman)

Wow, Dorgan is a real Renaissance Man. He’s an expert on Water AND Power, Indians and their various affairs, Science, Technology, AND Innovation. Of course, no one can know about all these things. This is why government can’t solve problems. Politicians don’t know how to do anything but get elected, and yet they end up in charge of everything.

Do you really want to set a precedent that these people should be involved with keeping the internet “neutral?” That seems to depend heavily on who is defining neutral, and I just can’t bring myself to trust politicians when it comes to important decisions like that.

A politician working on an important new piece of legislation

If you don’t like the way your ISP treats you, you can always cancel your service and join another one. There is already an ISP that promises to keep from throttling certain types of traffic. If bandwidth throttling becomes an legitimate issue that hurts consumers, other business will start up with this promise. All you have to do is vote with your wallet.

The informed electorate’s job does not end the day after election day. Call your senator and representative in the house. Tell them you want the government to stay out of the internet.