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From: optilink!cramer@uunet.uu.net (Clayton Cramer)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: TDD Long Distance Discount
Message-ID: <8502@accuvax.nwu.edu>
Date: 31 May 90 21:04:35 GMT
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X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 10, Issue 403, Message 7 of 11


In article <8451@accuvax.nwu.edu>, ssc!tad@beaver.cs.washington.edu
(Tad Cook) writes:

> In article <8374@accuvax.nwu.edu>, gnu@toad.com (John Gilmore) writes:
# # Besides the general public being ripped off to pay the phone bills of
# # the deaf, there is also the topic of TDD design itself.  Years ago, a

# RIPPED OFF???  Yeah, "screw all the deaf folks ... let the 'free
# market determine their fate!"

Why assume that deaf people can't afford to pay for their own
services?  It's certainly true that deaf people, on average, have
lower incomes than hearing people -- but there are deaf people who
don't need the subsidy.

Hell, the TDD subsidy isn't even "From each according to his
abilities, to each according to his need" -- it's a subsidy that
benefits poor, middle class, and rich deaf people equally.

# # Oh yeah, while I'm ranting about bills, [various rants about the 
# # California Relay Service, a "free" service that lets deaf people TDD
# # to the service which reads their message to hearing people and vice 
# # verse.  By "free" I mean "you and I pay for it, not its users".]  

# # Why isn't there a free relay service for email users to send to and 
# # receive from fax machines?  I mean, we are at a severe disadvantage 
# # when *everybody* has a fax machine except us!  Or howabout a

# Go buy a fax machine then!  Don't bellyache about the deaf!

You missed the whole point of the posting -- why do we have subsidies
for some groups, but not for others?

# # Personally I think helping people should be voluntary.  I don't like
# # the kind of "help" the government gives.

# Well, I have been doing voluntary work to help hearing impaired folks
# for quite some time now, and the volunteer efforts alone haven't cut
# it!  If you object to the rest of us getting the government involved,
# what have YOU been doing to help??

If the "rest of you" are any significant number of people, then there
should be no problem raising the money privately.  If not, why are you
forcing the rest of the society to fund it?

I have one deaf acquaintance.  He is a highly paid software engineer.
He doesn't need my help -- he's quite capable of taking care of
himself.


Clayton E. Cramer {pyramid,pixar,tekbspa}!optilink!cramer
Disclaimer?  You must be kidding!  No company would hold opinions like mine!