Woz Applying For Australian Citizenship Because of the NBN 385
An anonymous reader writes "It's a well known fact that Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak is a fan of Australia and now we know why. He supports a national broadband network — a scheme being rolled out by the Australian government to provide fibre 'for everyone' — so much he's applying for citizenship, the Australian Financial Review reports. You can be assured that he's not giving up his American citizenship though, he told Brisbane radio."
And for U.S. citizens: "Despite his status as a technology icon, Mr Wozniak said he was not connected to a broadband service in his home in California, classing the options available to him as a 'monopoly.' 'There’s only one set of wires to be on and I’m not going to pull strings to get them to do something special for me,' he said .... 'I've sat with our FCC commissioner and told him that story in his office, but it’s not going to happen. We just don’t have the political idea to bring broadband to all the people who are 1 kilometer too far away.'"
That's like applying to be Canadian... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:That's like applying to be Canadian... (Score:5, Insightful)
Or iiNet/Internode, who have actively worked to thwart bad internet regulations on behalf of their customers.
Re:Thats no way to be a good citizen (Score:4, Insightful)
Australia is a nation built on immigration and welcomes those who aspire to the Australian way of life, in the same way as the Puritans, Unitarians, Amish and other religious folks left Europe for the American Colonies all those centuries ago, rather than fighting tooth and nail for religious freedom in the countries of their birth. Conversely, guys like Rupert Murdoch and Mel Gibson are also welcome to fuck off at their own pleasure.
American born Australians are welcome to participate and integrate fully into Australian public life, we even had an American born Premier of New South Wales recently.
Re:That's like applying to be Canadian... (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Thats no way to be a good citizen (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:'monopoly' (Score:4, Insightful)
A private company isn't bound by the Bill of Rights, and it can refuse to serve you if it wants. Only one ISP in your area.... and they choose to refuse service to you? Too fucking bad, you're SOL. That is the cornerstone of the free market. That doesn't make them a government organization, and anyone who thinks that's what it means is a fucking idiot.
If you really hate governments so much, move to a country where what little government there is has no power... like Somalia. There you can bitch and complain that the local "monopoly" on rules and regulations, AKA: private criminal organization, will shove their AK's up your ass if you don't do what they say. At least you won't have a "government" to protect your basic rights.
Government isn't a company. It can't be run as a company, and works in a role pretty much opposite of what a business does.
You have not been coerced into using roadways, breathing clean air, drinking clean water, eating safe food, using safe products, or the myriad of other services you use EVERY SINGLE DAY that are provided BY THE GOVERNMENT; but you are expected to help pay for those.
The problem is: there too many idiots who have their heads stuck up their ideologies asses in this country.
Re:That's like applying to be Canadian... (Score:4, Insightful)
You goof, the Hot Chicks, are the Deadly Creatures... leave it to a Slashdotter.
Re:stupid (Score:4, Insightful)
they haven't solved all the other problems
They never will. So we shouldn't try to solve any problems at all. Just give up because perfection is impossible.
Re:That's like applying to be Canadian... (Score:5, Insightful)
I'd argue that Canada and Australia, despite their vast physical separation, and despite variations in detail (eg: they love rugby and we love hockey - but we both love "our" sports) are remarkably similar in general. We share many themes (commonwealth, beer, sports, left/liberal/egalitarian society, native/aboriginal influences, native/aboriginal issues, sense of humour, cultural inferiority complex, etc) for being so very different in specifics. We're a sort of mirror image of each other, and there's almost a natural fit between the two nations as a result.
Re:Thats no way to be a good citizen (Score:4, Insightful)
Fortunately for you, some British citizens - among them men named Jefferson, Franklin, Paine, Franklin, Adams, and Washington - decided once upon a time that jumping ship was preferable to being "good citizens".
Re:Thats no way to be a good citizen (Score:4, Insightful)
The same in Australia, but really it's just words. The Queen is a figurehead and a symbol of historical ties. She has no real role in the running of either Canada or Australia from a practical standpoint. And having an apolitical and arms-length head of state is actually a good thing from a governance perspective (note - head of State, not head of Government ... the two roles are the same guy in America, but separate people in Parliamentary systems).
Re:That's like applying to be Canadian... (Score:4, Insightful)
I'd wonder if having a net worth of around 100 million dollars would help the process?
Re:That's like applying to be Canadian... (Score:5, Insightful)
Step 1 STOP calling it obama care. It is Romney Care. Mitt Romney is the one who designed it. What Obama wanted was a single payer system like Canada has. The republicans wanted Romney's idea. Guess what we got.
It's romney care, I wanted Obama care, but the rich here hate the poor so much we are not allowed to have a single payer system that was to be a copy of the Canadian system.