TKJunkMail
Enjoy the sun
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join:2002-03-03
Avalon, NJ
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1 edit |  Linking backbones won't bring BB to rural Virginia
The approved $3m grant only links fiber backbones.The U.S. Department of Commerce economic development grant will allow the nonprofit Coalfield Coalition to link fiber-optic backbones in areas served by the Lenowisco and Cumberland Plateau planning district commissions.
That will NOT bring broadband to the doors of rural Virginia. Because to do that the telcos will have to up their infrastructure as well. Something that is not part of the grant, and something that the telcos could have done all along and have not. So this just means $3m taxpayer dollars down the drain as usual.
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manfmmd
Premium
join:2003-01-14
Earth
clubs:
| Misappropriation of Funds
I thought that the Tobacco Settlement money was supposed to go towards educating kids about the hazards of smoking. What a load of crap that settlement was. Having broadband will keep kids from smoking  .....
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brooklynman4
join:2004-09-07
Brooklyn, NY | That should be investigated by the attonery general of the state. |
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manfmmd
Premium
join:2003-01-14
Earth
clubs: | It's sad, but is typical of the Tobacco Settlements nationwide.
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johnt
join:2002-09-13
Richmond, VA
clubs:
| If I remember right
Here in VA the state allocated about 10% of the tobacco settlement money toward anti-smoking education. 40% was allocated towards economic development of the counties whose main product was tabacco farming. Where the other 50% went I don't really know.
If you are going educate people on the hazards of smoking, great - but at the same time with a decrease in demand other people are going to get affected - the farmers growing the tabacco. So using some of these funds to aid the areas that are dependent on a tabacco crop as their primary income, and help them create new economic options is a good thing. |
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pnh102
Reptiles Are Cuddly And Pretty
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join:2002-05-02
Mount Airy, MD
·Comcast
| reply to manfmmd
Re: Misappropriation of Funds
said by manfmmd  :I thought that the Tobacco Settlement money was supposed to go towards educating kids about the hazards of smoking. The scene in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery in which the U.N. responds to Dr. Evil's threat to use a nuclear weapon unless he is paid $1 million describes this scenario perfectly:
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
This tobacco settlement was FREE MONEY for the states. You didn't really think it was going to be spent responsibly did you? 
Besides, if the states spent money to stop kids from smoking, then there would be much less tobacco tax revenues coming from those kids in the future. The states want to have their cake and eat it too in that they want the tax money from cigarette sales but they don't want to deal with the health costs related to smoking. If they truly cared about peoples' health, they would ban smoking (only we tried that with alcohol and drugs and saw how well those went).
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manfmmd
Premium
join:2003-01-14
Earth
clubs:
| No kidding, if smoking is "that bad", ban it entirely. I KNEW that the states would not use the money appropriately, they misappropriate their general tax revenue, IMHO, so this is no suprise.
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jdracer47
join:2005-10-16
Auburn, PA
| reply to johnt
Re: If I remember right
Sorry, but I disagree with your logic. It was well known that the Tobacco growing cash cow was going to be a dead industry. If the farmers of the area didn't switch over to growing something else then shame on them. Would you feel the same way if the Telcos refused to upgrade their areas and end up in financial trouble due to the landline going away? Would you want money going to Verizon because it refused to react to a changing market? |
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manfmmd
Premium
join:2003-01-14
Earth
clubs:
| [sarcasm]
The "States" should have propped up the basket-weaving industry!!
[/sarcasm]
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rawgerz
In Debt we trust
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join:2004-10-03
Grove City, PA
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| reply to manfmmd
Re: Misappropriation of Funds
said by manfmmd :No kidding, if smoking is "that bad", ban it entirely. I KNEW that the states would not use the money appropriately, they misappropriate their general tax revenue, IMHO, so this is no suprise. Are YOU kidding??! Ban smoking?? It's taxed more than beer!
California is proposing they raise taxes again $2.50 on a pack.. That's estimated to produce a revenue of 2 BILLION. Cigarettes are just another way of getting even more money.. They might say "Oh well higher prices keep kids from smoking" when in REALITY it's because they KNOW there's always going to be smokers, so it's addiction money
If kids want to smoke THEY'LL SMOKE! It doesn't matter how many retarded ads they put on TV, there's always someones parent will buy them for them or other ways. The point of it is the buzz, at least for most.
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Hipjones
join:2004-05-14
Smithfield, VA
| reply to jdracer47
Re: If I remember right
What you fail to realize is that maybe they couldnt grow anything else.The government and consumer is making it hard for farmers to make a living growing ANYTHING these days.So shame on you for suggesting they had other options when you dont know the whole story about their situation! |
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Kearnstd
Elf Wizard
Premium
join:2002-01-22
Mullica Hill, NJ
| reply to manfmmd
Re: Misappropriation of Funds
no but the more bandwidth the kids have the more time they can spend inside playing Counterstrike and Xbox Live rather then burning up their lungs with a silly pack of smokes.
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Skippy25
join:2000-09-13
Hazelwood, MO
| reply to manfmmd
Are you honestly implying that you do not think smoking is "THAT bad"? I have never heard anyone make a positive statement about smoking like.. "Wow, its a good thing I'm a smoker." Never heard a physician tell a patient, "You should take up smoking, that will take care of that."
We live in what should be a free society. If idiots know the risk of smoking, excessive drinking, or taking drugs and continue to do so that is their choice. In the same sense, their choices and the harm they cause should not be forced upon society. Banning it altogether would be wrong, as they should have the choice to do it in places that won't effect those that do not want to involuntarily be a part of it.
As far as I am concerned, make it all privately legal and let the the process of natural selection take it's course. |
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johnt
join:2002-09-13
Richmond, VA
clubs:
| reply to jdracer47
Re: If I remember right
I see what you are saying - and in a small way I agree with your arguement.
The flip side to it is this - the farming economy as a whole (not just tabacco) is not one that rakes in tons of money. From what I remember reading (can't remember where) many farmers do what they can just to hold on. Also (I am not an expert on agriculture by any means) I do not think it is a simple thing to just switch what type of crop you grow. Climate, soil conditions, and other things that I believe have to be taken into context.
When you say the Tobacco growing cash cow - I don't think the farmers were the ones actually making a lot of money, it was the industry giants that were. Here is a link to a VA Tech paper about efforts to reshape the economy of these areas. »www.virginia.edu/ien/SEtobacco.pdf
As for your comment on the Telcos - that is a different arguement in and of itself. |
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lordoakrock
join:2005-12-23
Winnetka, CA | reply to TKJunkMail
Re: Linking backbones won't bring BB to rural Virginia
Verizon is running fiber to the premise on their own dime right now. If the wire is on the pole, they will run the drop. Fiber costs less to support it is in the interest of telecom to upgrade to the next gen of com infrastructure. |
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packetscan
Premium
join:2004-10-19
Bridgeport, CT
clubs:
·Optimum Online
| reply to manfmmd
Re: Misappropriation of Funds
Just like the states Lotto Proceeds are to be used for education..
They forgot to mention that was after then spend 80% of the profit on Marketing.. Then what's left over pays the employees and executives and what ever is left over goes to education.
If you saw the actually dollar amount you be F-ing sick!
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jdracer47
join:2005-10-16
Auburn, PA
| reply to johnt
Re: If I remember right
I am not anti-farmer in any way here guys, I grew up in a small farming area dominated by dairy farms. My point was that tobacco has been declared a rather unhealthy product for over 40 years. If Tobacco can be used for other products, that is awesome. If not and the land is unsuitable for other crops then maybe it is time to sell the land to Manufacturing that is attracted by the Union Free workforce.
Great link by the way, from a great school (one of my best friends graduated from there).
40 years is a long time to not have reacted to the changing environment, I feel bad for the farmers but you can never just rest on the "same old, same old" in any business.
I am a smoker by the way, I am still supporting the tobacco communities down there and if anyone wants to send me a $20 carton of Marlboro Lights from Virginia I would gladly except it  ) |
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LinuxJunkie
join:2005-01-19
Cyberspace | reply to Skippy25
Re: Misappropriation of Funds
Smoking's good for you! I've finely coated my lungs in tar so I will be immune to the impending nuclear fallout. |
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53059959
Temp banned from BBR more then anyone
join:2002-10-02
PwnZone | reply to manfmmd
Re: If I remember right
lol why do people use the [sarcasm][/sarcasm] things? are people really that stupid that they can't figure out if it was sarcasm? |
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Techman21
join:2005-04-14
Richmond, VA
| reply to Skippy25
Re: Misappropriation of Funds
So second hand smoke is, what, a choice?
And get me if I'm wrong, natural selection has never been proven. Nor has Darwin's theory of evolution been proven either. All there is are a bunch of bones that supposedly are supposed to link each animal species together like a gigantic running puzzle. Like a ca gillion different happenstances out of randomness just happened to choose each specific species to survive.
I think people forget about that. And no, I don't agree with the other thing the school is trying to pass off atm. If you actually read into it, it is not "Creationism" its something totally different.
But anyways, how many of you actually are in VA? If you aren't what are you babbling about. Go complain to your own state. I live in Tobacco farm area, there is nothing here. The small towns that they do have a basically all but dead and the broadband they do have is half affordable to the people who live in the area. The rest all use dial up, so quit your whining.
And no, I don't think its a good use of Tax payer money, since when has the gov.'t ever found good uses for money? Republican or Democrat. Both have their issues with finances. The right likes to create money and spend, the left likes to spend. Although from seeing my state Allen liked to save, not spend, and raise taxes at the same time. Interesting. Va atm has a huge surplus that could have been used to fix the roads or some other issue within the state. But our genius of a governor was scare of some crazy financial downfall, even though the economy is slowly rising back up. Politics aside, our gov.'t just sucks at spending money. They've rather spend it on the people that finance their campaigns and until voters understand this and vote different parties or whomever seems better at doing what the voter wants then you'll never see a change.
The only thing that hurts an elected official more than money, is that vote. Vote for some one else and get a friend as well, then well, figure out the rest. |
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