Is there no end to what the corporate shills will do?

[GreyGeek]

I got this in the mail today:

So here they go again.

I'm sure you've seen the continued battle about the "PROTECT IP Act" and the "Stop Online Piracy Act"—aka, PIPA and SOPA, aka Hollywood's latest misguided efforts to fight "piracy."

Now come the publishers: Representatives Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Darrell E. Issa (R-CA) have introduced a bill designed to kill open access to scientific work that the US government has paid for! The Research Works Act targets a policy of the NIH to require free downloading of NIH funded work within 12 months of publication. The Maloney/Issa bill would forbid that policy, or any other policy that would encourage open-access distribution for government funded work.

Our friend Michael Eisen at the Public Library of Science has been blogging up a storm about this issue (here, here, and this piece for the New York Times). But it won't surprise you to read about what Eisen says is behind this craziness: money. As he calculated using MAPLight data, almost 40% of the contributions from the Dutch publisher Elsevier and its senior executives have gone to Maloney. Is it any wonder why 75% of Americans believe "money buys results in Congress"?

Congresswoman Maloney may well have a good reason for forcing Americans to pay twice for scientific research—first in taxes to the US government, and second, to foreign publishers, like Elsevier. But nothing in her responses so far evince any good reason. Regardless, so long as we have special-interest-funded-elections, such reasons will never sound real. That's the same story that the SOPA opponents are telling us again and again: but for the endless cash coming from Hollywood interests, many who support SOPA wouldn't have given it a second thought.

This is the point that we Rootstrikers (or "Batmen" if you're a fan of Jon Stewart) need to teach.

Help us. Here's what we need you to do:

(1) Contact Representatives Maloney and Issa and ask for better explanations than they've provided so far.

Maloney:

Twitter: @RepMaloney @CarolynBMaloney
Phone: 202-225-7944
FAX: 202-225-4709
Email: Use this form

Issa:

Twitter: @DarrellIssa
Phone: 202-225-3906
Fax: 202-225-3303
Email: Use this form

(2) Join the protests announced by our friends at Demand Progress to oppose SOPA, with Rootstrikers signs that point to the money.

(3) Go to my wiki and help write the article that will make the case that this bill is unjustified, unless your purpose is to raise funds for your campaign.

Thank you for your help in this, and whenever you help "strike at the root."

Lawrence Lessig
Rootstrikers

I guess allowing the the taxpayer free access to research they paid for is going too far for corporate greed. If it isn't being turned into proprietary IP that comes only with huge license fees the research isn't being properly "monetized". >

And those who voted for Maloney probably didn't think that she would pull this baloney. And, it's "bipartisan" to boot. Seems there are shills enough for both parties.

[NickStone]

Re: Is there no end to what the corporate shills will do?

From what I have read about these bills going through US government that they both go against what Tim Berners-Lee had in mind when the World Wide Web was created in 1989. It appears to me that the US Government and US business want to own the World Wide Web however it is not theirs to own.

[GreyGeek]

Re: Is there no end to what the corporate shills will do?

From what I have read about these bills going through US government that they both go against what Tim Berners-Lee had in mind when the World Wide Web was created in 1989. It appears to me that the US Government and US business want to own the World Wide Web however it is not theirs to own.

US corporate interests ignored the Internet (Bill Gates even dissed it, at first) until they realized they could make money at a much reduced cost, compared to brick and mortar stores, IF they controlled both the access and the bandwidth and had draconian changes in copyright and patent laws made. Hence, tiers have been introduced and users who were PROMISED unlimited data were lied to and throttled after a campaign to call them "bandwidth hogs" for using the bandwidth they were contractually promised. Politicians were only too willing to sell their office and vote for personal gain, so the destruction of the US Trade and Patent Office was as easy as extending copyrights to 75 years. Whereas the Founding Fathers allowed for 20 years for a business to recoup its investments and turn a profit on its OWN inventions, now a corporation can STEAL works from the public domain and put copyrights and/or patents on them and create tollbooths at the bottom of your driveway for the next 75 years. No research, no investment (save for a few million in bribes to politicians). Pure profit.

SOPA has not yet been voted into law, and may be abandon (although I doubt it) but our State Department was already threatening Spain and other countries with financial retaliation if their governments did not adopt SOPA-like laws. Such actions were and are a betrayal of US tax payers and our over seas friends. It just goes to show that there is not a dime's worth of practical difference between the Dems and the Repubs. Their tenure in office boils down to personal gain motivated by personal greed.

Look at what we have in office now, and what the Repubs are offering. The give the Constitution lip service but are doing everything they can to destroy it, for our "safety" of course, while they pad their own pockets. Disgusting.

[SteveRiley]

Re: Is there no end to what the corporate shills will do?

[blobfish]

Re: Is there no end to what the corporate shills will do?

And, it's "bipartisan" to boot. Seems there are shills enough for both parties.

Are there people out there that still think "there" party is representing them? You don't have to agree with the Occupy movement, but I find it hard to dismiss the 1%/99% paradigm.

[woodsmoke]

Re: Is there no end to what the corporate shills will do?

Two comments:

And, it's "bipartisan" to boot."

"Demmicats and Repubicans".

make money:

The local wannabe university charges one third MORE for an online class, which costs the wannabe university about one third LESS to provide.

woodsmoke

[SteveRiley]

Re: Is there no end to what the corporate shills will do?

The local wannabe university charges one third MORE for an online class, which costs the wannabe university about one third LESS to provide.

Otherwise known as a "convenience fee," already embraced by banks (ATMs) and concert ticketing agencies. Gotta love this fact about the modern world: price has almost zero relationship to cost.

[Snowhog]

Re: Is there no end to what the corporate shills will do?

price has almost zero relationship to cost.

In a truly open and level market place (meaning, anyone can enter, but only those who can 'build the better mouse trap' will survive, and no one receives 'outside' support beyond what they can generate themselves -- without any Government assistance), price would be relevant to production cost.

The role of Government in the market place is not to be a participant (provide goods/services in competition with the private sector), but to ensure that there is a level/even playing field for all who wish to take their chances at making a profit. Business models that can't make it deserve to fail. Period.

[ardvark71]

Re: Is there no end to what the corporate shills will do?

The role of Government in the market place is not to be a participant (provide goods/services in competition with the private sector), but to ensure that there is a level/even playing field for all who wish to take their chances at making a profit. Business models that can't make it deserve to fail. Period.

Hi Snowhog...

I would agree for the most part except that in certain cases, I would prefer the government to run certain functions. This would include the maintenance of parks, forest lands and prisons, to name a few.

The Postal Service in my opinion should be reintegrated back into the Federal governement as the Post Office Department, as it was before 1971. I don't think it could survive as a completely independant business facing competition, without making drastic changes to services and wages and benefits. I don't believe the public would go along with what the changes in "goods and services" would entail in this case.

Regards...

[Snowhog]

Re: Is there no end to what the corporate shills will do?

The role of Government ... is not to be ... in competition with the private sector... Period.

A role that the Government involves itself in, that is not being performed by any private sector, then I tend to agree with you. However, if a goods/service is being provided by the private sector, then the Government should be 'hands off' -- should not participate in providing those same goods/services.

[ardvark71]

Re: Is there no end to what the corporate shills will do?

A role that the Government involves itself in, that is not being performed by any private sector, then I tend to agree with you. However, if a goods/service is being provided by the private sector, then the Government should be 'hands off' -- should not participate in providing those same goods/services.

You are referring to organizations like Fannie Mae and other GSE's.

How would you consider programs like the Oregon Health Plan that offer low cost medical insurance to low-income folks. I doubt a regular insurance company would be willing to take on a service like this.

Regards...

[GreyGeek]

Re: Is there no end to what the corporate shills will do?

Exactly, and most eloquent.

Those doing the shredding took an oath to "uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States". With "friends" like them the Constitution needs no enemies.