From: "P. J. Alling" > I also don't believe that you should be required to pay for copies. > Well that's not true, if the fees were actually paying what the > copies were worth, that would be fine. Especially since actual costs > of running the office are already paid for by tax dollars. You can > make all the hand copies you want. However just try to make a copy > with an electronic device. If you brought your own hand scanner you > will either a.) not be allowed to use it or b.) be charged a fee for > copying a public record. Sometimes exactly the same fee as if you > were using the copy machine. This is unconscionable. The fees are not > revenue neutral. If they were I wouldn't object.
That's why I put "revenue neutral" in quotations. They aren't, but that's the explanation. The real reason for the fees is they're pissed at you for making them do work to get the records out for inspection. Accessing the electronic version doesn't require any extra work on their part, but they gotta charge a fee for that to justify the fees they charge for copies of the paper records. BUT, it's an equal opportunity piss-off ... there's no discrimination against the tax-paying public; they get the same surly lack of service the legal professionals get, although I guess the lawyers and the newspapers can deduct the subscription fees from their taxes as a business expense. > > John Sessoms wrote: >> From: "P. J. Alling" >> >> >>> I don't belong to any service, when I click on the link below it >>> takes me to a page with the Docket for the case. You only have to >>> log in to read the details. This I believe should be open to >>> everyone. It's a public proceeding, but apparently the public >>> isn't trusted with public knowledge. >>> >> >> >> It *IS* open to the public. Anyone can subscribe. >> >> This is a "revenue neutral" access site, i.e. they cover the costs >> of providing records online with subcription fees rather than >> taxes. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
