49% Say Government Should Regulate Internet

49% Say Government Should Regulate Internet

www.rasmussenreports.com]ww w.rasmussenreports.com

Nearly half of Americans (49%) believe that the federal government should regulate the Internet the same way it does radio and television, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national survey.

Thirty-five percent (35%) disagree, and 16% are undecided.

Americans also believe overwhelmingly -- 73% yes to 13% no -- that it should be a crime to harass someone on the Internet.

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[edit on 23-6-2008 by harvib]

I will never get why people in this Country are so quick to give up their freedoms. Those who blaim the Government for the loss of their rights need only to look around at their contemporaries. It seems there are a large group of the population insistant that their rights be taken away. Say goodbye to the internet.

[url=http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/lifestyle/general_lifestyle/49_say_government_should_regulate_internet]www.rasmussenreports.com[/u rl]
(visit the link for the full news article)

Ongoing Discussion Here:

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why must we have several threads on the same topic...

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reply to post by harvib


Either the poll is slanted, or 49% of people polled are damn idiots. I'm afraid it goes no deeper than that. how willing people are to give up the very thing that makes an American an American. Freedom

Originally posted by projectvxn
reply to post by harvib

 

...how willing people are to give up the very thing that makes an American an American. Freedom

I'll never understand it... I hope people will think this one through and I hope the poll is slanting the statistics.

I find it hard to believe that poll is accurate.
Why would anyone want the government involved with regulating the internet? It makes no sense. Everything the gov touches turns to crap when it comes to regulation.

Just convince them the internet is dangerous. Why are people so willing to give up other rights? In the name of protection.

Originally posted by projectvxn
reply to post by harvib

 

Either the poll is slanted, or 49% of people polled are damn idiots. I'm afraid it goes no deeper than that. how willing people are to give up the very thing that makes an American an American. Freedom

That's what I'm thinking. they probably said something like if the government could get rid of indentity fraud would you support the government taking over the internet. But I do think they said something about Identity Fraud and a few other buzz words.

It's the same thing as the war on terror, if you can, using the media, scare people into thinking the internet is a boogeyman, and you do this with pedophilia, online frauds, piracy, terrorism and stalkers, then you can get the people to think the way you want them to think, and regulate perhaps the only really democratic medium we have. It sucks that so many are stupid enough to not see what's being done here. People will give up their freedom for protection from made up or statistically irrelevant threats, and help kill the very medium that is actually keeping them free in the face of lurking totalitarism. Thats the power of keeping people ignorant. They become maleable.

In the other thread, someone mentioned that polls are usually skewed to give the results that the people who commission the polls desire. I hope so because I wouldn't like to think there are that many people out there who don't realize what the Internet is.

Why can't people just leave good enough alone?

If you are carful in how you pick you demographics, you can get what ever answers you want from a poll. These polls never ever tell you who they talked to. I had a pollster call me and when he figured out that he wasn't getting the answers he wanted, he hung up on me.

But let's be honest, when legislation is pesented it is usually presented in a bias manner. For example an internet regulation act may be presented as a child protection act, etc. How can anyone vote against the protection of a child?

reply to post by harvib


I agree,if it is truly a child protection act. The thing is the title of the bill often has nothing to do with the meat and potatoes of the bill. No telling what would be hidden in the hundred of pages of an internet bill. Oh there might be somthing about kids, but I bet you there would be more.

Ah, because the government is so well-equipped to protect us.



Why must we always rely on the Government to protect us, i wonder?

Proof that 1 out of every 2 americans is massive mentally retarded..

as soooo many have pointed out, why give up your freedom on the net?? it's the one last place we can go to speak the truth... and look at pr0n for free

oh.. and of course the government is the best choice to regulate anything... they do such a bang up job now... look at the FCC and tv from a few years ago with old janet jacksons boob... it set your country back 30 years.. LOL

Let's not forget the brilliant job the FDA is doing in regulating beef... Yes, big government has it all under control...

How could they regulate the inernet? The concept is a logistical impossibility. The internet is global, and most of which is contained outside their jurisdiction.

Even if the world governments decided to sit around and nitpick the internet, it is growing faster than they could censor it. It is a living entity.

Now they could maintain a free internet as they are already doing. Which I think would be more likely to occur and more widely accepted.

First of all lets not forget that 99% of all statistics are lies. Let your brain crack on that. Second of what's a nice way to influence people in a poll. It's to first brainwash them and then let them decide.

Originally posted by lost in the midwest
reply to post by harvib

 

I agree,if it is truly a child protection act. The thing is the title of the bill often has nothing to do with the meat and potatoes of the bill. No telling what would be hidden in the hundred of pages of an internet bill. Oh there might be somthing about kids, but I bet you there would be more.

Aggreed and there in lies the problem. The same way polls ask bias questions to get expected answere legislation is presented in a bias way to also get expected results. I don't know what the solution is except we need to start reading the legislation and stop relying on our representatives to do it for us.