89Comments
Dec 7, 2012 6:24PM
Dec 7, 2012 6:05PM
I can't say I agree with all of these...education & sanitation services especially, but I 100% agree with political campaigns. There is no reason the political parties should be spending billions to make the other guy look like a jerk when our economy is in the condition it is. It was disgusting. Record one ad for each candidate, have a couple of debates, then let the voters decide.
Dec 7, 2012 7:02PM
Dec 7, 2012 5:56PM
Dec 7, 2012 7:25PM
Dec 7, 2012 7:06PM
With the price of a liquor license and liquor liability insurance, why would a resturant owner allow you to bring your own wine for free? Air dispensors for gas stations cost 1500 bucks plus install and are usually abused by patrons. The autor of this artice knows little about staying in business
Dec 7, 2012 7:00PM
The cost of using the air and water machines is used to offset the expense of replacing the hoses and fittings on the air/water dispensers. Too many jackasses will just thrown the hose down when they get through with it, then it gets run over. John Q only cares about his property, not anyone else's.
Dec 7, 2012 6:33PM
And to balance the 'free' stuff, a 'duty' to public balance set of 'obligations/free work by the public. For instance - the 'free' education of young people balanced by military or public service labor obligation as for example France, Isreal, some other european countries- do 18 months military service before your 'free' state supported college- and that is for women in isreal. alternative service in denmark and Norway is various nursing home duties--and all this balanceing duty is at minimal cost, a simple monthly allowance for personal needs about 60 to 150 dollars same as the military pay. You want free trash pickup? - you do 6 hours a week on the trash truck at maybe a dollar a hour or free. . r '
Dec 7, 2012 6:45PM
NOTHING but the air we breathe is truly free. EVERY product or service comes at a cost to someone. Even things that are perceived as "free" have their costs rolled into some product or service. What gripes people is that they pay once for a product or service, and then have to pay additional fees that should have been part of the payment for the original product or service in the first place. People also resent paying for products or service that they get no benefit from. The people who directly use or benefit from something should be the ones to pay for it. Simple.
Dec 7, 2012 6:53PM
Dec 7, 2012 6:51PM
"We ought to require the broadcasters and cable/satellite providers to strike a deal that would give the public free access to at least what we now think of as basic cable.”
So, who's going to pay to get the cable to your house? You can already get all the broadcast channels for free, just get an antenna.
So, who's going to pay to get the cable to your house? You can already get all the broadcast channels for free, just get an antenna.
Dec 7, 2012 8:51PM
Dec 7, 2012 7:23PM
Free??? Gimme a break, nothing is free. But a number of things should be made available to everyone - like police and firemen, national defense, education, health care - anything that is necessary for people to realize the promise of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. And they're far from free, we all pay for them through an "equitable" system of taxation.
Dec 7, 2012 6:57PM
There are 315 million people in America, (2011 census)
Healthcare in this country cost 2.6 Trillion in 2010 (Kaiseredu.org)
Divide 2.6 trillion by 315 million comes out to 825.39 cost per person for healthcare in the US.
So- Why would it cost me 850 per month for a health insurance policy ( family plan- 3 people) with a 6000 deductible?
Single payer system should not cost the American public more than 1600 per year per person, current system would cost me more than 16,000 per year before anything was covered. A difference of $10,000 per year- only for the lesser amount I would actually get health care.
Maybe Americans need to set up their own single payer system, where every person can contribute a 1% of the group costs- who can we get to organize and run it?
Dec 7, 2012 6:06PM
it seems that regulation and serious limitations on ads would be in everyone's (including broadcasters) interest. limiting would allow broadcasters to charge advertisers more by limiting supply and thus increasing demand. the amount of advertising has gone way beyond obscene. i resent having to pay to have them imposed on me and am thinking about just going roku or something. tv has become a vast wasteland, and few broadcasts compare to pbs.
Dec 7, 2012 7:20PM
Dec 7, 2012 5:58PM
Dec 7, 2012 9:45PM
Here we are now a country of people looking to get something for nothing. What has happened? Where did this entitlement society come from. None of our founding fathers would have imagined, even in their wildest dreams, that someday this country would have had an election based on "what is in it for me". People in the past have fought for basic civil rights, children labor laws, free trade, etc... This year part of our election was the fight for free birth control. Unbelievable!
Dec 7, 2012 9:24PM
Dec 7, 2012 7:40PM
Dec 7, 2012 7:24PM
Dec 7, 2012 10:18PM
1) Wifi doesn't have to be free, a business pays for it, they can profit if they want, give it to certain people, etc... They do open the risk for hackers, illegal downloaders and just bogging down their network.
2) I "allow" the networks to use the airwaves? Not like I am using them. And you can still get many channels with an antenna.
3) I have never seen anyone charge for condiments. But then you state to "build the cost in to the price", so exactly how is that giving it for free if you build it in? And if it is built in, then what if I don't want ketchup/mustard, I am still paying for it.....
4) Most every restaurant gives free refills, but even if they don't, I can't see why that should be free.
5) Check your car tires before leaving home. And if it is an emergency, just spring for the 50 cents. And when is the last time you saw someone filling a radiator at a gas station, in my 45 years I've seen it ONE time.
6) Most credit cards do not have annual fees, use one of them.
7) I agree on application fees.
8) Tech support usually is free during warranty. Who pays "thousands" for a laptop anymore? Most are $400 and are "throw away" items.
9) Maybe people should go 2 or 3 hours on a plane without eating? Most longer flights do include a free meal.
10) I actually prefer the different options when flying, so long as it ACTUALLY reduces the base cost of the ticket. I'd rather pay for luggage and then pack wisely to save money.
11) Yes, checking accounts are out of hand, fees, minimum requirements, pay to see a teller, etc...
12) ATMs are free if you stay in network, I've never once paid a fee. But if it were a true emergency where I had to have cash, I could care less about the $2 or $3. Plan ahead and have the cash you need.
13) Yes, credit reports should be free, as well as our credit score. Maybe once a month instead of once a year.
14) Same argument could be used that a guy with long hair gets haircut for $15, girl with long hair gets a cut for $50. Then again, why should a guys tailored suit be done for free anyway?
15) Not many use 411 with smart phones or just calling a friend to do a google search.
16) You think K-12 is free in the US? You ever hear of a thing called taxes?
17) Never heard of a restaurant that allows you to bring your own wine. Won't they let you open it yourself?
18) Yes, parks should be free.
19) Tax money to pay for water/sewer/trash does not make it free. If you rent, it is usually built in to the price, if you own a home this is such a small payment that it should not matter.
20) Maybe have a cap for how much politicians should be able to spend.
Dec 7, 2012 10:09PM
"TV programming
Remember when all you needed to watch network TV was a television set, and maybe a set of rabbit-ear antennas for better reception? We now have hundreds of channels to choose from, and we pay a high price for that, but network television should still be free."
Ummmm....
It still is. I get 3X more channels w/HDTV radio signals than I did with analog signals. All this with a 12 year old UHF/VHF antenna just like the old days.
Writer is either trying to manipulate the facts (bad journalism at best) or is a lazy researcher. Boooo!
Dec 7, 2012 9:40PM
Dec 7, 2012 9:35PM
Dec 7, 2012 9:29PM
Its not the politicians or the lawyers, it the citizens mentalities. It’s the citizens who elect these politicians and hire the lawyers (but we do need good lawyers for legitimate things). More and more people are convinced that things should be given to them just because they exist. The reason America was great in the first place was because people worked hard and had morals, and dare I say, a healthy reverence for the Almighty…
In America we are guaranteed the certain freedoms, and these are designed to shore us up so we can work hard to become the best we can be and to buy our own stuff and willingly help others.
Dec 7, 2012 9:21PM
Report
Are you sure you want to delete this comment?
DATA PROVIDERS
Quotes are real-time for NASDAQ, NYSE and AMEX. See delay times for other exchanges.
Fundamental company data and historical chart data provided by Thomson Reuters; click for restrictions. Real-time quotes provided by BATS Exchange. Real-time index quotes and delayed quotes supplied by Interactive Data Real-Time Services. Fund summary, fund performance and dividend data provided by Morningstar Inc. Analyst recommendations provided by Zacks Investment Research. StockScouter data provided by Verus Analytics. IPO data provided by Hoover's Inc. Index membership data provided by SIX Telekurs.
Japanese stock price data provided by Nomura Research Institute Ltd.; quotes delayed 20 minutes. Canadian fund data provided by CANNEX Financial Exchanges Ltd.
Smart Spending Blog
Strategies for saving more