back to article Obama platform: 'Open' internet, strong IP protection

The Democratic Party has published its platform for the coming election with a nod to net neutrality rules, support for tougher IP protection, and a commitment to get 98 per cent of the population onto wireless broadband. The 40-page document devotes just a single sentence to net neutrality: "President Obama is strongly …

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  1. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge
    Mushroom

    So far, so Roosevelt

    In other words, they are angling for "contributions" from the "rights holders" as well as from well-connected insiders that will see freshly printed paper money flowing their way once the "wireless broadband for everyone" industrial policy rides out of the door. That's a good plan for success.

    "which largely focused on ways to get the economy moving again"

    Ridiculous. The apex of insanity is when you wreck the economy with cheap money, pump in more money to paper over the cracks, have a gigantic debt hole, increase governmental expenditures, especially in regards to military affairs, then still think you have the intellectual nous, not to speak of the economic wherewithal, to get the festering zombie moving again. Of course, once the economy has unf*cked itself in spite of all this (only a decade or so later), politicians will take pride in telling everyone that it was their merit that etc. etc. etc.

    1. E 2

      Re: So far, so Roosevelt

      "Ridiculous. The apex of insanity is when you wreck the economy with cheap money, pump in more money to paper over the cracks, have a gigantic debt hole..."

      Agree. I just don't understand why inflation has not yet set in after the past two presidents basically just printed about two trillion dollars.

      1. Captain Save-a-ho
        Mushroom

        Re: So far, so Roosevelt

        Inflation has occurred, though not across the board. Correlate the price of gold to the Dollar for an example. The sole reason inflation isn't a rampant problem is that US Treasury securities are viewed as a safe haven by many investors world-wide, keeping interest rates incredibly low. That will change in an instant in January, if the Taxmeggedon isn't addressed (US will raise taxes collectively to the tune of $500B annually). At that point, the economic system of virtually every nation on earth will feel a shock.

        But, on the bright side, 15 million more people will get covered by Medicaid (free health care) while the world burns around them.

        Is there a socialist country looking for a leader? Hopefully, the US will have one freed up by January.

      2. Alan Brown Silver badge

        Re: So far, so Roosevelt

        The main reason is that 2 trillion dollars is miniscule compared with the size of the US economy. The government spends more than that on its military each year, spread across public and non-public budgets.

        The secondary reason is that the US dollar is the main trading currency in the world. The Euro was a rival for a while (it's been said that the real reason for going to war in Iraq was that Saddam Hussein was moving to euros for oil payments) but at the moment there's no other currency which is widely accepted in international transactions. It would take a lot to change confidence in the currency, because despite the USA's debt levels, it's fundamentally still a very strong economy with a huge internal market.

        (As a comparison, it was estimated that the USA would need to spend 76 trillion dollars to clean up the mess they made in Iraq.)

        FWIW during the days of massive stagflation, the USA and UK governments frantically took money out of the supply pool but inflation just kept going up. Money supply and inflation aren't as tightly linked as some economists seem to believe and any currency is only good as the confidence in it. (At some point UK retailers will stop taking pound coins due to the level of fakes circulating, making what you have in your pocket worthless for all intents and purposes - many consumers already check every pound coin given and refuse any which look dodgy.)

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Down

    tougher IP protection?

    tougher than that American courts protecting American companies bullshit last week?

    Surely a reason NOT to vote for him.

    1. Combat Wombat
      Mushroom

      Re: tougher IP protection?

      Yeah, but look at the alternative

      We are boned either way.

  3. streaky
    Facepalm

    Net Neutrality...

    Is a myth, and always has been. Anybody thinks otherwise doesn't know what the jesus fk they're talking about. Bored of this worthless debate now.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Open platform...

    Bama's idea of an open platform is when you bring your own Vaseline and bend over... He'll also find a way to tax it to pay for those unwilling to work but happy to steal.

  5. Dan Paul
    WTF?

    RE: Open Platform "Unwilling to work but happy to steal"

    I beg to differ. That's not Obama, that's Romney and the rest of his fatcat RICH bastard buddies who even make you bring your own vaseline.

    The total number of people ACTUALLY on Welfare are approximately 15 million or roughly 4% of the population. Statistically, that's not too bad compared to most European countries.

    I won't argue that some of the Welfare recipients cases need to be checked out to ensure they are not cheating. This is what we get when the government tries to help people in need without having checks and balances. Tough to fix this one.

    Unfortunately the GOP is throwing numbers around like 100 million but that includes anyone on Social Security and Medicaid/Medicare. Lies and politics are inseparable.

    There are approximately only 3 million receiving unemployment benefit at this time and that number is decreasing. Nothing being said by GOP or FOX ever seems to add up.

    In the mind of the Republicans, you were never supposed to suffer a debilitating disease, accidental death of the breadwinner, or other calamity without getting a life insurance benefit to support you or living on your inheritance.

    They believe you should be paying through the ass for life or other form of insurance that poor people cannot afford instead of getting some help from the government via the Unemployment Insurance you have been paying all these years.

    Let's not mention all the other MANDATED insurance that their RICH cronie lobbyist friends have made it law that you must pay. Private Mortgage Insurance, Homeowners Insurance, Auto Insurance, Health Insurance, each of which are paid mostly because some RICH bastard legislated a way to steal another pound of flesh from you. These are the same people who decided that your everyday health insurance (in the US) has nothing to do with your eyes or your teeth because those aren't worked on by "real doctors". They are the ones who created the "Diagnostic codes" that determine whether you get any bloody coverage at all. Afterall if you own the insurance company you would not want to pay any claims right?

    These are the "Job Creators" as we are told. Except they are deliberately holding back "creating jobs" until they get "one of their own" in power to ramrod through more legislation that will leave the common man even more bloodied, laying in the street begging for mercy. What part of that does not sound like outright treason?

    We all know the RICH can always afford to spend money, on ANYTHING. Poor people are instead worrying if their meager salary will pay the rent and still have money left over for food, let alone insurance.

    The RICH have always conspired to milk the common man out of every penny they can, so that same man cannot raise himself up to compete with the RICH on a open, common playing field. Read about the Molly McGuires and the Railroad and Mining Barons and you'll see what I mean. Romney and the GOP wants to bring back indentured servitude by the cut of his jib.

    The US will never have the kind of Social Services that Canada, the UK or Europe have even though those programs are reasonably beneficial. Too bad really because the only ones ever making any real money are the ones who need it the least and they conspire to deny good wages and benefits to those who need them.

    I ask you, who really NEEDS an income level in the millions? Why can't they pay an equitable % share in taxes to the 28% I do? Do they need a 8,000 square foot home taxed at the same overall rate as my $90,000 house? They should pay more local taxes than I do, but they don't.

    The trouble is that the rest of us are just too poor to buy our own political representation like the RICH can. Until that changes, good luck.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Begging doesn't change reality

      All of these paid liars, aka politicians, will tell the gullible sheep whatever they want to hear. Only a damn fool would believe a word they spew. The naive will eventually come to understand that he who has the gold makes the rules. That will never change.

    2. TAJW

      Re: RE: Open Platform "Unwilling to work but happy to steal"

      Dan Paul said: "There are approximately only 3 million receiving unemployment benefit at this time and that number is decreasing. Nothing being said by GOP or FOX ever seems to add up."

      What you said is pretty typically of the liberal bs machine. The numbers that don't add up are the fact that unemployment benefits have run out by this time of the year for those still out of work, so yes, the number is decreasing. Why file when it takes extra time and gas for no benefit?

      And I hope we never have the kind of socialist programs that are in other countries. In the U.S. we have worked for a living, it's what made us strong, and if we just let people whine until they get a goverment check, we're going to go the way of Greece, Spain and other countries that are bankrupt financially and morally.

      But I don't expect you to understand that, because you have drunk the Koolaid of Entitlements.

      Move to Canada if you like it so much. It's not far...in fact, move to Quebec...and learn to speak French. It's required there.

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