Quote:
Originally Posted by junkyardwillie
I'm all for that as long as my taxes don't get raised, I'd vote that bill right down if its coming out of my pocket. I paid my dues in college, I'm not paying someone elses now as well
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You could look at it this way: Spreading the costs over the entire American tax base brings the cost per person
waay down (a difference of
pennies on your taxes)... but it could also result in a more educated and therefore more business-capable and prosperous country. Just a thought...
Quote:
Originally Posted by junkyardwillie
What would be a fairer way to organize it would be for the industry to restructure. It'd be better off for publishers to spin out their manufacturing divisions (if they have one still, I haven't looked into this)...
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In fact, most publishers contract out their jobs to the few large-scale book printers left, they don't largely "own their own printers." Though many printers may be making so much of their income directly off of publishers that the cancellation of their contract may essentially put them out of business.
At any rate, money formerly spent on paper milling, printing, storage and distribution can be reapplied to internal costs such as writing and editing. But it doesn't alter the fact that the publishers made a lot of money on paper book markups, which they will mostly lose when they shift to e-texts. They don't want to lose that profit, any more than you want to pay higher taxes. And when forced into the corner, they're just likely to declare bankruptcy and go home, leaving taxpayers to foot the bill for reparations anyway.
So either way, I expect we're the ones who will pay for it, whether we like it or not. Personally, I'd rather pay for an organization taking the country into the future, rather than for an organization that skipped out and stuck me with the bills.
Sure, no one
wants to pay more taxes. But if a few pennies in taxes means a better country for everyone, I'll skip a beer or two for the team.