I ask this because according to this article, there is legislation working its way through Washington that would, in effect, tax merchandise bought via porn websites UP THE KAZOO!!!
That is the main focus of Today's Real Deal.
Now normally, in full disclosure, one would think that a Republican came up with this idea. Ironically, the idea came from a Democrat.
Two of them in fact. Senator Mark Pryor & Senator Max Baucus.
The proposed legislation, called The Cyber Safety For Kids Act, would (along with another piece of legislation proposed by Arkansas Senator Blanche Lincoln) impose a whopping TWENTY FIVE PERCENT (that's 25% for those of you who can't read) on transactions conducted via porn websites. Lincoln's Bill is now in the Senate Finance Committee.
Ohh...By the way, many in the porn industry consider this an attack on what is constitutionally protected free speech and would also have a chilling effect on it as well.
Additionally, many of these companies and/or individuals who run porn websites are either offshore or in foreign countries where US laws don't apply. This is yet another example of Washington being under the mistaken (not to mention the terribly misguided impression that the Internet doesn't even exist outside the U.S.
One more thing....Many people (more on the subject of people later) in the porn industry are parents themselves!!!!
Does Washington not think these people know how to guard THEIR OWN kids from online porn??? HHHHeeeellllooooo
These people know the ins and outs of the industry LIKE THE BACK OF THEIR HAND
Don't believe me, just ask someone who's in the industry such as Nora Louise Kuzma (aka Traci Lords), Jennifer Marie Massoli (aka Jenna Jameson) or even guys like Peter North (Not to say they all have kids of course, but I'm sure you get the point - At least I *hope* you do :) ).
And to top it all off, this is to say nothing of the (what should the obvious) fact that porn websites aren't even targeted towards kids in the first place.
But anyhow...Like I said, more on the subject of parents as it relates to this later.
Meanwhile...Back to the subject at hand....It seems as though these three Senators have forgotten which party they belong to. Perhaps the constituents could remind them of this come state primary time (if not then, then perhaps come this November)? Looks to me as if they are buckling under pressure from the GOP.
If that is the case, I have but one thing to say - We WILL NOT give in!!!!
I say this because (again), this is a move you would expect from a bible-toting Republican who's trying to come up with ways to help good ol' buddy President George "Dubya" Bushpay for a war we had no business starting in Iraq (Don't even get me started on that). NOT A DEMOCRAT.
If Washington insists on levying a 25% tax on America, then I say levy it on those who purchase tobacco products since they A). Continue to support a habit this country has had since (at least!) The Days of Hitler and B). Put MY OWN HEALTH as well as theirs at risk while smoking it (sometimes knowingly to boot).
QUIT PUNISHING THE REST OF US WASHINGTON!!!!!
THAT ALL SAID THOUGH, I am in COMPLETE support of a "buffer zone" for children (I firmly believe there should be one). But I DO NOT believe it should be politically motivated, which I believe it is. These three Senators are feeling the pressure from the GOP, which has their respective states (Arkansas & Montana) BY THE BALLS. As such, the heat is on and they are getting desperate. So, instead of standing for what they believe in, they're caving in to Republican pressure without their having to do a damned thing.
And as if all this wasn't enough, by their own admission, all three Senators say that not completely protect children from porn
Given, this, here is what I propose as a fair alternative....
- Create the *.xxx Domain Name (or allow a registrar company to do it), but DO NOT attempt to "subsidize" (if I even dare use that word to describe what the proposals in Washington call it) it by imposing the 25% tax on Internet porn transactions onto the rest of us (I've outlined what I believe is behind this above so I won't bother repeating it here).
- Either create (or allow a registrar company to do it) a *.kid & a *.fam for kid and family-oriened websites. This way, there will be no controversy (and ISPs won't be stuck hosting web pages of people and their families).
Speaking of ISPs, ISPs could also create server-side software designed to detect on properly installed net nanny software end users' computers. This could be used to filter out porn sites registered under the *.xxx Domain name from appearing on end users' screens or (in the case of search engines like Google) appearing in search results.
But the keywords are properly installed.
I say because many parents are either too naive or just plain STUPID to think that their kid won't visit porn sites. This same group of *ahem* so-called "parents" are also the ones you see on the news crying their eyes out while pleading with some online predator to either return their kid or turn themselves in (if not both) because they didn't have properly installed net nanny software on the kid's computer.
It is because of this, I don't call these people "parents".
As such, I say if they're too stupid, too naive, or have too much fuckin' pride to even consider the idea of protecting their kids online, well then (as Victor Drazen [Dennis Hopper's character during Season One of the TV show 24] once told George Mason [the then-acting Director of CTU on 24], if you're only the acting Director, you're not the the Director of anything at all), they're really not "parents" at all. They're just simply grown up children who just happen to have children of their own..
Not even The Government can fix that.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is Today's (albeit two-pronged) Real Deal.
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