Insanity may be Bi-partisan

Upton and Dingell, a republican and democrat, representatives from Michigan, have introduced legislation to repeal FCC regulation of unsolicited faxes. “Just common sense,” they say. The Spam fax industry, which must be constituents, would loose thousands of dollars in attempting to comply with the prior consent provisions of the regulations.

The FCC regulations require prior consent to prevent offices and homes from becoming inundated with unsolicited junk faxes. The regulations were to start last August but were delayed due to the outcry of the “push” advertising businesses. Presently the regulations are delayed until January of 2005.

Dane Snowden, chief of FCC Consumer & Government affairs bureau says, “The record we compiled indicates that many individuals and businesses are, in fact, inundated by unsolicited faxes.” --- “In addition to the cost of paper and toner with received faxes, consumers and businesses --- are burdened by the time spent reading and disposing of faxes.”

One might add that the phone ringing in the middle of the night and the subsequent sound of the handshake and the printer wake everyone up for naught. Business hours for some rings midnight or later for others. We now turn our fax off unless we need it.

Is advertising a fossil of the Industrial Age? Perhaps, not yet, advertising and marketing drive our economy. Like government, however, unbridled advertising becomes destructive. Freedom without responsibility leads to anarchy. (Blab) and you thought Spam was from Minnesota.