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To: William H Huebl who wrote (23527)	9/19/1999 6:31:00 AM
From: Mephisto	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 24894

Apart from energy prices, I've read that we have very little inflation. The labor market is tight here. In some sense it has always been that way. People won't work unless you pay exorbitant wages. Just try to find someone to help you do odd jobs in the yard or house. I'm not talking about cutting down trees, lifting large pieces of furniture or etc. Also, it is difficult to find professionals in many areas, although there are more dentists around that one would ever need. I imagine they charge exorbitant prices as well. I think what's held our prices in check is that there is so much competition in retail areas. I wonder if e-commerce will help to keep prices competitive as well. M....

To: William H Huebl who wrote (23527)	9/19/1999 8:47:00 AM
From: Mephisto	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 24894

Have you heard about this: Subject: Congress wants you to be charged 5 cents for each email! "Please read the following carefully if you intend to stay online and continue using email: the last few months have revealed an alarming trend in the Government of the United States attempting to quietly push through legislation that will affect your use of the Internet. Under proposed legislation the U.S. Postal Service will be attempting to bilk email users out of "alternate postage fees". Bill 602P will permit the Federal Govt to charge a 5 cent surcharge on every email delivered, by billing Internet Service Providers at source. The consumer would then be billed in turn by the ISP. Washington D.C. lawyer Richard Stepp is working without pay to prevent this legislation from becoming law. The U.S. Postal Service is claiming that lost revenue due to the proliferation of email is costing nearly $230,000,000 in revenue per year. You may have noticed their recent ad campaign "There is nothing like a letter" Since the average citizen received about 10 pieces of email per day in 1998, the cost to the typical individual would be an additional 50 cents per day, or over $180 dollars per year, above and beyond their regular Internet costs. Note that this would be money paid directly to the U.S. Postal Service for a service they do not even provide. The whole point of the Internet is democracy and non-interference. If the federal government is permitted to tamper with our liberties by adding a surcharge to email, who knows where it will end. You are already paying an exorbitant price for snail mail because of bureacratic efficiency. It currently takes up to 6 days for a letter to be delivered from New York to Buffalo. If the U.S. Postal Service is allowed to tinker with email, it will mark the end of the "free" Internet in the United States. One congressman, Tony Schnell has even suggested a "twenty to forty dollar per month surcharge on all Internet service" above and beyond the government's proposed email charges. Note that most of the major newspapers have ignored the story, the only exception being the Washingtonian which called the idea of email surcharge "a useful concept who's time has come" (March 6th 1999 Editorial. Don't sit by and watch your freedoms erode away! Tell all your friends and relatives to write to their congressman and say "No!" to Bill 602P. It will only take a few moments of your time, and could very well be instrumental in killing a bill we don't want." Kate Turner Assistant to Richard Stepp, Berger, Stepp and Gorman Attorneys at Law 216 Concorde Street, Vienna, Va."