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Republicans keep on showing themselves to be ignorant, petty, foolish and devoid of common sense. The latest idiocy comes compliments of John McCain.

On Thursday, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) became the Republican Party’s lead man on technology issues … by introducing the “Internet Freedom Act.” The legislation would prohibit the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from making sure that Internet service providers don’t create a pay-for-play system where they could selectively block or slow content and applications. McCain called these net neutrality rules a “government takeover of the Internet.”

From McCain’s press release:

This government takeover of the Internet will stifle innovation, in turn slowing our economic turnaround and further depressing an already anemic job market. Outside of health care, the technology industry is the nation’s fastest growing job market. Innovation and job growth in this sector of our economy is the key to America’s future prosperity. In 2008, while most industries were slashing jobs in the worst economy in nearly 30 years, high tech industries actually added over 77,000 good high-paying jobs. Just this month, Google and Yahoo both released positive earnings reports.

Now here’s the irony and stupidy of the McCain measure. In 2006, the companies that McCain mentioned in his press release, Google and Yahoo, wrote a letter to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce which stated in part:

Until FCC decisions made last summer, consumers’ ability to choose the content and services they want via their broadband connections was assured by regulatory safeguards. … This “innovation without permission” has fueled phenomenal economic growth, productivity gains, and global leadership for our nation’s high tech companies.

To preserve this environment, we urge the Committee to include language that directly addresses broadband network operators’ ability to manipulate what consumers will see and do online.

Google and Yahoo asked for the exact measures which McCain is attempting to block. So what gives? What’s behind McCain’s proposed legislation?

This is…

…telecoms largely support blocking net neutrality rules, and McCain is a long-time friend of these businesses. McCain was the top recipient of campaign contributions from the telecom industry, taking in $894,379 in the past two years.

Lovely. McCain refers to himself as a computer “illiterate” and someone who former FCC chairman Reed Hundt has referred to as a “technological troglodyte, and proud of it” and now he wants to pretend he’s trying to protect the Internet when in fact he’s working on behalf of the telecom industry against the Internet. What an ass.

When John McCain selected the unbelievably ignorant Sarah Palin as his VP choice he revealed himself to be nothing more than a shallow, self-centered man whose love of self surpassed any love of country he claims he has.

And here’s another thing which is getting ever so tiresome; every time the government proposes a measure which would prevent big business from forming monopolies or taking advantage of consumers, Republicans trudge out the same government takeover BS.  Deregulation has shown us what happens when corporations are given complete freedom to police their own business.  Costs go up and people get screwed.

Hang it up, John.

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