US Senator Santorum sells out citizens - cheap

"Two days before Sen. Rick Santorum introduced a bill that critics say
would restrict the National Weather Service, his political action
committee received a $2,000 donation from the chief executive of
AccuWeather Inc., a leading provider of weather data."

"Joel Myers and his brother, Barry Myers, AccuWeather's executive vice
president, have donated more than $11,000 to Santorum and the Republican
Party since 2003"

entire story:
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories...LATE=D EFAULT

- John Ousterhout -

Wow! A very-well established multimillionaire Senator selling out for
the HUGE sum of $2000? Amazing! Think I could get him to name a highway
after me if I sent him a check for $1.50 ? I'm sure it couldn't
POSSIBLY be any other reason why he supports the bill...like the fact
that the NWS itself reversed a long-standing policy of not copmeting
with private companies. Before last year when the NWS reversed its 1991
rule, it didn't directly compete with private companies that have
risked capital and effort to provide a service needed by the public. Do
you REALLY want to have federally funded government agencies (with all
of the wonderful efficiencies the federal government brings with it)
using their state subsidization to compete with the private sector?

Wow! A very-well established multimillionaire Senator selling out for
the HUGE sum of $2000? Amazing! Think I could get him to name a highway
after me if I sent him a check for $1.50 ? I'm sure it couldn't
POSSIBLY be any other reason why he supports the bill...like the fact
that the NWS itself reversed a long-standing policy of not copmeting
with private companies. Before last year when the NWS reversed its 1991
rule, it didn't directly compete with private companies that have
risked capital and effort to provide a service needed by the public. Do
you REALLY want to have federally funded government agencies (with all
of the wonderful efficiencies the federal government brings with it)
using their state subsidization to compete with the private sector?


When my tax dollars are paying for satellites and nexrad radars, I want that
data that comes from them without having to pay for it again. Anytime a
congress critter is accepting money from a company then introducing
legislation that narrowly benefits that company, we should be suspect.

John Ousterhout wrote:

"Two days before Sen. Rick Santorum introduced a bill that critics say
would restrict the National Weather Service, his political action
committee received a $2,000 donation from the chief executive of
AccuWeather Inc., a leading provider of weather data."

"Joel Myers and his brother, Barry Myers, AccuWeather's executive vice
president, have donated more than $11,000 to Santorum and the Republican
Party since 2003"

entire story:
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories...LATE=D EFAULT

- John Ousterhout -


Thanks for the link John.

To all:

The Electronic Frontier Foundation makes it easy to send your concerns
about this bill to your Senators. Go to http://www.eff.org, click
"Action Center" on the top navigation bar, then click "Protect Public
Weather Data". Fill in your correct name and address etc., select
your state, customize the prepared message as you wish, and send it
off.


Here is AOPA's position on the bill,

"AOPA opposes bill that would prevent National Weather Service from
providing weather products to public

AOPA is concerned over legislation that could eliminate free National
Weather Service (NWS) aviation weather products for pilots. Sen. Rick
Santorum (R-Pa.) last week introduced a bill (S. 786) that would
prohibit the NWS from offering any "product or service that is or
could be provided by the private sector."

"Aviation weather products are critical to general aviation safety and
must be available for use by pilots," said Melissa Rudinger, AOPA vice
president of regulatory affairs. "Some 40 percent of all aviation
accidents are directly related to weather."

This isn't the first time that someone has tried to shut down free
weather information from the government. In 2001, the NWS was forced
to pull the plug briefly on its innovative Aviation Digital Data
Service (ADDS) Web site, reportedly under pressure from commercial
vendors.

"This bill has the potential to kill much of the information the NWS
provides over the Internet, including ADDS," said Rudinger. "And with
this legislation in place, the commercial vendors might even make a
case for the complete privatization of weather products."

In the past, AOPA has successfully protected aviation weather products
from so-called "non-compete" efforts. The bill has been referred to
the Senate Commerce Committee, where Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska)
is very aware of the importance of readily available weather
information to general aviation pilots. Committee member Sen. Bill
Nelson of hurricane-ravaged Florida has already expressed his
opposition to Santorum's bill.

He'll be getting plenty of support from AOPA."


David O -- http://www.AirplaneZone.com

wrote in message
oups.com...
Wow! A very-well established multimillionaire Senator selling out for
the HUGE sum of $2000? Amazing! Think I could get him to name a highway
after me if I sent him a check for $1.50 ? I'm sure it couldn't
POSSIBLY be any other reason why he supports the bill...like the fact
that the NWS itself reversed a long-standing policy of not copmeting
with private companies. Before last year when the NWS reversed its 1991
rule, it didn't directly compete with private companies that have
risked capital and effort to provide a service needed by the public. Do
you REALLY want to have federally funded government agencies (with all
of the wonderful efficiencies the federal government brings with it)
using their state subsidization to compete with the private sector?


Normally I'd agree, but in this case the taxpayers spent all the money
(billions) for the sensors and funded all the weather research. As a
result, the taxpayers have a right to the product of their investment. It
would be different if the private weather companies were going to buy all
the satellites, radars, and other reporting stations and launch there own
balloons accross the country twice a day.

Mike
MU-2

wrote:
Do
you REALLY want to have federally funded government agencies (with all
of the wonderful efficiencies the federal government brings with it)
using their state subsidization to compete with the private sector?

Are you serious? These "private sector" companies are merely
regurgitating data that you already paid to have gathered and
processed. Do you really want to pay them again? If they want to add
value, to the data by further processing it, let them charge what they
want (like Jeppeson). I just find it a little objectionable to pay
some private company for a Nexrad image that was generated by my tax
dollars.

I find this akin to a city turning over a public street to a private
company and letting them charge you a toll to use the street that you
paid to construct. It's ludicrous.

John Galban=====N4BQ (PA28-180)

In a previous article, "John Galban" said:
I find this akin to a city turning over a public street to a private
company and letting them charge you a toll to use the street that you
paid to construct. It's ludicrous.

Yeah, and _that's_ never happened. *cough*407ETR*cough*

--
Paul Tomblin http://xcski.com/blogs/pt/
We're the technical experts. We were hired so that management could
ignore our recommendations and tell us how to do our jobs.
-- Mike Andrews

"John Galban" wrote in message
oups.com...


wrote:
Do
you REALLY want to have federally funded government agencies (with all
of the wonderful efficiencies the federal government brings with it)
using their state subsidization to compete with the private sector?

Are you serious? These "private sector" companies are merely
regurgitating data that you already paid to have gathered and
processed.

Gee..why would someone subscribe to something like Meteorlogix Aviation
Services?

Do you really want to pay them again? If they want to add
value, to the data by further processing it, let them charge what they
want (like Jeppeson).



I just find it a little objectionable to pay
some private company for a Nexrad image that was generated by my tax
dollars.

Can you get a Nexrad image directly from NOAA/NWS?

I find this akin to a city turning over a public street to a private
company and letting them charge you a toll to use the street that you
paid to construct. It's ludicrous.

How about a private company/party developing something and then govt taking
it over? "The "takings" clause in the USC?

"Matt Barrow" wrote in newsFPle.82$sZ5.1034
@news.uswest.net:


"John Galban" wrote in message
oups.com...
Snipola

I just find it a little objectionable to pay
some private company for a Nexrad image that was generated by my tax
dollars.

Can you get a Nexrad image directly from NOAA/NWS?
Snipola

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/radar_tab.php

As well as many other websites.

Brian
--
http://www.skywise711.com - Lasers, Seismology, Astronomy, Skepticism

Home of the Seismic FAQ
http://www.skywise711.com/SeismicFAQ/SeismicFAQ.html

Sed quis custodiet ipsos Custodes?

"Skywise" wrote in message
...
"Matt Barrow" wrote in newsFPle.82$sZ5.1034
@news.uswest.net:


"John Galban" wrote in message
oups.com...
Snipola

I just find it a little objectionable to pay
some private company for a Nexrad image that was generated by my tax
dollars.

Can you get a Nexrad image directly from NOAA/NWS?
Snipola

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/radar_tab.php

As well as many other websites.


While airborne?