[Sussex] Microsoft fails to comply

[Geoffrey J Teale]

Richie Jarvis <richie at helkit.com> writes:

> Well, it can't be any worse than the government at the moment who
> believe that everything and everybody should be controlled - I believe
> it is called the Nanny state - is that really what you subscribe to Mr
> Teale?  In other words, at the extremes of what you seem to believe,
> you will have to run Microsoft software, as that is what the state
> prescribes.....

Funny, 'cause because the de-regulated free market didn't force us all
into that situation during the 90's at all did it?  Oh yeah, that's
right that _is_ what happened.

Not at all..  I simply don't think that de-regulating business at the
same time as putting everything important in the private sector isn't
a good way to go.  The more you privatise the more you need to
regulate.  Profit may be a good motive for most things, but as you'll
observe:

- Privatised public transport won't help you at jot if you live in a
   small town.  If you're not profitable you can't get a ride.

- Private health providers aren't really interested in providing
  non-profitable treatment.  Even the attempts to run the NHS like a
  business just end up in certain services being run down at the
  expense of specialist services that can be sold on (profitably) to
  other trusts and private work.

... those are two examples of what regulation is required for.
Business without regulation is more profitable, sure.  Microsoft would
love the EU to be regulation free.   

> At the end of the day, alot of the money that the government gets each
> day is wasted on petty bureaucracy.  

Sure, sure.  Cause all we need is more policemen on the street and to
clean the hospitals up - sure, it's _that_ easy.  Keeping hospitals
clean _must_ be easy - I mean all they've got is hundreds of people
riddled with infection and germs spewing bodily fluids left right and center.

...or maybe you just think that because all the right wing newspapers
have been harping on about it for the last 30 years (and by
coincidence they are all owned by very wealthy men who would make even
more money if there was less regulation surrounding the media and less
tax) and two of the three main political parties are currently playing
"lets out bid each other in agreeing with the gutter press in order to
get the popular vote".  

>Take car tax for example - it is
> not only a way to overtax the populace, but also a way to keep alot of
> government jobs.  A simpler and more efficient way is surely to put
> the tax on fuel, and it becomes fairer, but no - that doesn't happen.

I actually sort of agree with that.  It might work but it's political
suicide, because then the truck drivers will be up in arms and all the
businesses that rely on that method of delivery will end up with
higher costs that in turn will result in you paying more for your
tomatoes, and yes, you guessed it lower profits for Rupert Murdoch and
whadda you know the gutter press would go for the governments throat.  

Almost any problem you can mention doesn't have a simple solution that
will be universally popular.  The only way to be popular in power is
to do nothing at all.

Moreover your car tax also covers the overhead of disposing of your vehicle at the
end of it's life (theoretically)  - the cost of which doesn't change
no matter how far your drive each year.


> Well, personally, I believe that the tax bands should rise in line
> with inflation - i.e. the 40% bracket should rise with inflation.

Sure, but shouldn't there be more tax bands?  Shouldn't we go back to
taxing businesses properly (the real reason why we feel the pinch more
these days - business doesn't like being taxed)?


> Well, with any luck, they will be preparing to rid our poor country of
> the disease that is labour.

Jeez - you think Labour and the Tories are different?  The Labour
party only got into power by basically becoming the Tory party - what
do you think will be solved choosing the a subtle variation on the
same thing?

-- 
Geoff Teale
Cmed Technology    || Free Software Foundation
gteale at cmedltd.com || tealeg at member.fsf.org