Posted on 01/04/2018 12:31:17 PM PST by simpson96
LINCOLNVILLE — A high school student who wrote to Gov. Paul LePage because she was concerned about the loss of net neutrality received a handwritten response from the governor last week in which he told her to “pick up a book and read!”
In the month leading up to the recent vote by the Federal Communications Commission to repeal net neutrality regulations, Camden Hills Regional High School sophomore Hope Osgood learned about the issue and how junking the longtime principle that all web traffic be treated equally could affect consumers’ internet access. While browsing social media, she found an application that would generate a letter expressing her concerns and used it to email a message to LePage.
She wrote, “The internet is the easiest way to access anything. News, information, etc. Companies being able to put restrictions on internet usage isn’t ideal! People will be left in the dark about some things. All my school work is internet-based, but what happens if I can’t reach what I need to? What about my lessons in school?”
About a month after Osgood emailed LePage, she received a response: a copy of her letter with a message handwritten in the white space below it that read: “Hope. Pick up a book and read! Governor.”
Osgood’s first impression was that his comment was snarky.
“I’m only 16 years old, I’ve only talked to so many people,” she said. “I just thought it was rude. I didn’t know how to react to that. I’m a kid. I can’t really do that much.” (snip)
Osgood said she’s concerned that the loss of net neutrality could impede her studies. Beyond school, she’s worried about the impact on social media because that’s how she connects with friends.
(Excerpt) Read more at pressherald.com ...
Paul LePage is the closest we have to a saint in American politics.
Her letter makes no sense. She is barely coherent in her quotes. And the governor’s response is perfectly acceptable — the dope asks what to do if she can’t access the internet to learn things. He responds to use books. What we have here is a little brain-dead activist in the making.
His response was snarky and rude. I think he should have spent a few extra minutes educating her about the free market - he may have botched an opportunity to point a young person towards conservatism and personal responsibility.
If he did not have the time to do so himself, perhaps he could have had an assistant pen a respectful and informative response for him to sign.
The little nitwit should stay off the Internet as she would likely eat a Tide Pod.
Books are much safer.
When did "since 2015" turn into "longtime"?" Didn't net neutrality come into effect in the middle of 2015?
Dear Hope,
“net NEUTRALITY” is as bogus a name as “the AFFORDABLE care act”.
The net is not be neutral. The question is whether the bias is managed by government or business.
If you like the DNC (or China or Iran), you will prefer to have the government control the net.
If you prefer freedom, you prefer that businesses control the internet. I have alternatives to FB and twitter without leaving the country (unless the gov’t uses “net neutrality” to take away my alternatives). I don’t have alternatives to US regulations while I live here.
And, no matter which you trust more today, it’s easier to replace the businesses you deal with than the government you live under if they take a turn for the worse tomorrow.
“Net Neutrality” is to the internet what the “Fairness Doctrine” was to AM radio, from 1934 until Ronald Reagan let it expire in 1987: government control of content.
You are correct. The media are engaged in a cover up and this snowflake was undoubtedly unaware that all the FCC did was restore things to the way they were in 2015, when nobody had any Internet access problems.
I LOVE it!
Believe me, as I sit in a dark house with the “Snowmageddon” going on outside, and my car buried in snow, I have had a bellyfull of snowflakes.
I am sure that the good governor of Maine (to the north of me) AGREES!
:-)
I usually like him and his bluntness, and I understand his frustration, but, you are right that he should have taken the time to educate her. The left has really spread the lie about Net Neutrality, and it needs to be refuted far and wide.
Just curious - is there any proof that he actually wrote the note?
We need the media or Gloria Allred to answer the authorship question. It was either written by the governor or by Roy Moore, DA. Since it didn’t reference the Ol Hickory House, it just had to be the governor!
Nope. Brevity is the soul of wit. And it was uppity for a kid her age to bother an important man with her stupidity.
He wasted all the time on her he should have.
Okay, but if you are not willing to try to educate young people then as far as I am concerned you have no business bitcoin about how ignorant everyone is.
You never know when something you say to a young person is going to sink in and take root.
...no business bitching about...
Darn that autocorrect. Darn it to heck.
“She is barely coherent in her quotes.”
What is really scary - it sounds like this was a form letter put out by some group in support of net neutrality.
I also don’t agree with the snarky response. And while the Governor doesn’t need to respond to every 16-year old’s questions - she could have pointed her to a speech or other comments. Although - why would the Governor be involved with net neutrality?
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