Anyone got a 10-foot-pole that I could use to NOT touch this with? Anyone? Anyone?
----- Original Message ----- From: "MDK" <rea...@muddyfrogwater.us> To: "WISPA General List" <wireless@wispa.org> Sent: Tuesday, August 03, 2010 4:26 PM Subject: Re: [WISPA] [WISPA Members] Health Insurance >I have limited sympathy with your comments for a simple reason... Health > Care IS NOW a political topic. So is broadband. So is internet network > operations. So is bandwidth control, so is hiring someone, so is firing > someone, so are the money management choices you make, so is retirement, > so > are benefits, so are, well, dang near every aspect of our business lives. > > I'd say none of us, at least the smaller guys, asked for any of this to be > brought upon us. 20 years ago, hardly a single thing mentioned above > was > or had ANY political concerns, and now, they're all political, and rarely > are the political concerns going to bring about wise or prudent outcomes. > > This has been pushed upon us, by interests not in our favor, and those > interests are not going away, nor are they moderating in the slightest. > In > fact, they are intent upon making MUCH more of our businesses and lives > political. > > Yes, there are simple dollar value equations to some aspects of employer > based health care, but some of it's purely political now. Any > discussion > of bandwidth management and application prioritization necessitates a > weighing and ultimately making judgments about political things. Even > arguments over what the politics actually means and how far it intends to > reach and how much it legally CAN reach. Which ultimately brings us to > the > point where we discuss the topic of health care the same way we discuss > customers who use the CD tray as a coffee cup holder, or expect us to do > miracles, on a budget of dander and fluff - and that discussion is by > necessity as much political as moral, logical, ethical. > > So you want us to NOT express our opinions on the nature of the political > intrusions into our business. Might as well say that we can't express > opinion about cranky customers, or which operating system is best on SBC's > or how to manage a network. By necessity, these things are all relevant, > as are our opinions of them. But so, too, the political aspects of our > business, must be at least some what legitimate to discuss, lest we as a > group by default follow a political course with no discussion or even > consideration to where that leads us. > > It would be reasonable and proper to ask to keep such discussions relevant > and topically accurate, and to try to keep this from degenerating into a > political flame war. More importantly, it is necessary that respect be > given to those who don't agree with your opinion, and that the "there is > only one default and acceptable opinion - that which is "politically > correct" and I see that happen in a lot of places these days. And > usually, > that opinion and default position is utterly indefensible, but is never > challenged, due to the powers that be preventing dissent. > > I would prefer that our discussions were not about politics. But they > have > to be, since politics has invited itself into darn near every aspect of > our > business. I'd say there's a powerful lesson there... but that would be > ideological, huh. > > Sigh..... > > > ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ > Neofast, Inc, Making internet easy > 541-969-8200 509-386-4589 > ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ > > -------------------------------------------------- > From: "Forbes Mercy" <forbes.me...@wabroadband.com> > Sent: Tuesday, August 03, 2010 10:45 AM > To: "WISPA General List" <wireless@wispa.org>; <memb...@wispa.org> > Subject: Re: [WISPA] [WISPA Members] Health Insurance > >> Rick, >> >> Can we nip this in the butt right now? The discussion was to see if it >> was feasible for WISPA to look at a group rate for health care, it is >> now evolving into a political discussion. Political discussions usually >> degrade into undesirable threads which make people mad and ultimately >> cause one or more to ask to be unsubscribed from the Members list. We >> consider that a sad loss because they won't get the benefit of the many >> discussions we have that have to do with being a WISP just because >> someone wanted to spread their own political views. We are not an >> advocacy for political causes other than for more spectrum and better >> rules for WISP's. You obviously wanted to spread your views all across > > > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > WISPA Wants You! Join today! > http://signup.wispa.org/ > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > WISPA Wireless List: wireless@wispa.org > > Subscribe/Unsubscribe: > http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless > > Archives: http://lists.wispa.org/pipermail/wireless/ > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WISPA Wants You! 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