[debate] proposal: this house will legalize spam

[David Harley]

> Second, what really is Spam?  Let's I my spam 
> filter flags legitimate emails from vendors, my car 
> dealership (maintenance reminders), and PR folks who I know 
> as spammers and regularly blocks their email.  What if you 
> actually want cheap Viagra and the offer is legitimate? 

I have to agree that a common definition might clarify the terms of the
debate. How about Vixie's? 

> Bill Gates, some time back, proposed the idea of an email 
> tax.  Something that was a fraction of a penny per email.  

I'm not sure that could really work against spammers using illegitimate mail
channels. I.e. most of them...
  
> While off topic, I wonder if a fee structure on currently 
> illegal drugs, tobacco, and alcohol could be used to fund the 
> universal healthcare programs we know the country needs?  

Again, not altogether off-topic. Much spam is implicitly or explicitly
concerned with evading legitimate channels, so the "products", if they
existed at all (and by definition most spam is in some sense fraudulent),
would remain illegal and untaxable. 

--
David Harley BA CISSP FBCS CITP
Small Blue-Green World