Anyone remember when (p)Rick Santorum tried to PRIVATIZE WEATHER?

[underpants]

As things now stand, weather information -- current and coming soon to your neighborhood -- is available from the National Weather Service, via its Web site, or over one of those little battery-operated gizmos, like the one I keep in my kitchen, that broadcasts up-to-the-minute information from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOOA).

According to the Tribune-Review, The National Weather Services Duties Act of 2005, introduced by Ricky on April 14, would, if passed, "bar the National Weather Service from providing any service that competes with the private sector."

In other words, American taxpayers, whose dollars support the NWS, would not, if this wacky legislation were to become law, be able to obtain weather information from that source, because the same or similar service is provided by private weather forecasting companies such as AccuWeather, and the Weather Channel.

And here the plot thickens. The Tribune-Review notes that Joel and Barry Myers, founders and executives of AccuWeather, which has its headquarters at State College, Pa., have donated to Ricky's election campaigns.

http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0429-25.htm

[annabanana]

1. I remember it well. It was a big WTF moment for me.. . n/t

[Rosa Luxemburg]

2. Republicans will privatize air

People will have to register and pay an annual fee of $5000 to breathe air.

[joshcryer]

7. They actually want to do that ... in space.

But on earth they'll expect their water to be effectively free (for such a valuable and necessary resource water is effectively free, the marginal costs are completely eaten by society).

[rurallib]

3. didn't AccuWeather basically repackage NWS forecasts?

But Iknow they were found to be less accurate, so they must have made some corrections.

[joshcryer]

5. They did and still do. No private weather company can pay for the subsidized...

...weather information we have through NOAA/NASA.

[underpants]

11. as does the Weather Channel

but the owners of TWC don't pay (p)Rick

[Scuba]

4. Analagous to taxpayer money building a highway, the erecting private tolls...

Rick's scheme calls for taxpayers to pay for weather forecasting, which would then be given to private corporations which would then sell the info back to taxpayers.


This man is a con artist.

[joshcryer]

6. That's what happens now.

Ever see a weather forecast without having to pay through either sitting through ads or paying for a physical service (eg, cable, internet, etc).

[Scuba]

8. Yep....

http://forecast.weather.gov

[Citizen Worker]

9. A con artist? No, no it's the free market, don't you know?

[AlinPA]

10. Yes, and Accuweather gets its data from NWS and NOAA. He's a jerk.

[JaneQPublic]

12. Santorum's forecast: Clear to partly frothy (nt)

[LetTimmySmoke]

13. Republicans need to spend less time privatizing essential services

And more time privatizing their privates.