Everybody Wants It…

But Not Everybody Will Use It (or benefit from it)

There seems to be some large scale popular belief out there that people automatically become brilliant and wealthy if you give them access to technology.

More accurately, the government and the liberals want to GIVE away FREE access to technology under the guise of worrying about education and employment.

I take exception to this concept.

Giving children a cell phone and wireless broadband access to the Internet at home, at school, and in public places no more makes them a candidate to be a ROCKET SCIENTIST or a RHODES SCHOLAR than did handing every child their own set of World Book Encyclopedias or their own private home library would guarantee similar success when I was in school in the 1960’s and 1970’s.

I hold this truth to be self evident—IF YOU INSIST ON BEING AN IGNORANT, UNEDUCATED DUMBASS, YOU WILL BE SAME, REGARDLESS OF THE COST AND EXTENT OF EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES AFFORDED YOU.

If kids won’t read the books available in the existing free public libraries and in their own school libraries, why should you expect them to suddenly sprout an interest in doing anything productive toward their education with a high speed internet terminal—except play games, possibly?

And the kids can’t turn the cell phones off so they won’t ring during class long enough to learn anything. Our local schools here in Glynn County Georgia had allowed cell phones in schools up until this year, provided that the students didn’t talk on them inside the school buildings.

Of course that didn’t work, so now they have had to ban cell phones from school campuses beginning this fall—AND THE PARENTS AND KIDS ARE RAISING HELL ABOUT THE MEASURE.

Heck, forget cell phones, our high school had a couple of pay phones in the lobby and you had better not have got caught talking on one during school hours unless you were calling your mother, your doctor or your lawyer.

How times have changed…

The NY Times’ Thomas L. Friedman says that wiring the entire US with cell phone and wireless internet coverage should be a government priority.

“A new generation of politicians is waking up to this issue. For instance, Andrew Rasiej is running in New York City's Democratic primary for public advocate on a platform calling for wireless (Wi-Fi) and cell phone Internet access from every home, business and school in the city.

If, God forbid, a London-like attack happens in a New York subway, don't trying calling 911. Your phone won't work down there. No wireless infrastructure. This ain't Tokyo, pal.”

Friedman forgets to mention that he is one of the people that believe that the “war on terrorism” is a figment of Carl Rove’s and George Bush’s imagination, so I wonder why he’s worrying about 911 calls from subways anyway—but he is in this article.

Just like I wrote about the UN yesterday, Friedman and his ilk figure that since there are tens of millions of cell phone users and high speed internet subscribers, that it is time to make cell phone service and high speed Internet access a WELFARE BENEFIT.

What complete and total crappola.

Yes I would like better cell phone coverage—I have to stand on the balcony of my condo with a tin foil hat and a wire coat hanger in each hand to make a call on Cingular, and yes I like it when I enter an airport terminal and they have free wireless Internet, but I say to Comrad Friedman that we let the FREE MARKET take care of deciding where and how fast these NON-ESSENTIAL services expand to.

After all, no where in the US Constitution do I find the words: LIFE, LIBERTY, A PICTURE PHONE WITH TEXT MESSAGING, AND FREE BROADBAND.

Ben Franklin must be rolling over in his grave…

UPDATE at 5:00 AM:

I thought about this a little more after I posted, and this came to mind. Once the entire city of NY is wired with cell phone coverage and wireless internet--who's going to use the service?

Can you say "primarily mean old rich white guys?"

The next thing you know they will be passing laws giving away cell phones and notebook computers with wireless cards because...

I can just hear the "advocates" screaming...

"it isn't FAIR that the disadvantaged can't use the infarstructure that they spent all that tax money on.

I suspect that soon you'll be able to stand in line at the grocery store while some welfare mom with five kids checks her voice mail and E-mail on her Bluetooth enabled Blackberry PDA--paying for her groceries with an Electronic Benefit Card.

I've got to go now and take most of a bottle of asparin...maybe a couple dozen Advil too...