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69 Comments
- gamabunta, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4They don't deserve one.
- Jeremy82465, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Unlike some of the posters I did read the post from last week about the senator getting the ipod from his daughter and taking shot at the RIAA because he loved it. Either way I think it could still go both ways even if they all had one. On one end they could all love it and not want to have their little toys hindered, on the other hand they could see first hand how easy it is to steal music, and see this as a potentially bad thing, and be extremely pro-RIAA.
- SoCalCIO, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2So perhaps we should just elect more technologically-saavy representatives who understand how this new-fangled technology changes the debate ... Or maybe the guys we elected already should get out there and immerse themselves in current technology on their own or seek aides that can help educate them. Someone should make a list of the ten devices, gadgets, or services that every senator should own. Any volunteers?
- opps12, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2They would understand the effects of all the copyright legislation they pass.
- Lax32, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Yeah, Im not too sure this is going to spark a holy crusade.
Congressman talk to lobbyists every day. Infact, most of the time they spend actually in congress is spent with lobbyists while they listen to a recording of the content of what was said that day later that night.
My point? These guys recieve offers for things all the time. One of the perks of the job. If you get them an Ipod, they arent going to sit there and go through all the preloaded propoganda, nor will they be stupid enough to go and illegally download content onto it, nor will most of them really understand it really. These guys arent homeless guys that will think that an Ipod is the greatest gift ever. Buying them with the expectation that it will provoke this massive change is not really realistic. - joel2600, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2you would have a bunch of senators wasting more taxpayer money on things that benefit nobody but themselves .... so i guess nothing?
- theone3, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Hmm.. sweet.
They should contact apple for some help in doing this. - flickr, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I know I'm paranoid but this kind of sound like a scam...
I mean, if you Google 'IPAC' there isn't very much referencing it besides their own site (although I'm sure countless blogs who've mentioned this story will pop up soon) .
I'd love to be wrong about this but it just seems too shady to think about donating. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Giving away free iPods to pampered Senators is a poor excuse for not doing what should be done instead. Each and every one of them should be voted out of Congress, one election cycle after another, and new people should be voted in, until we get the people in there who can actually get something done. The problem isn't that they don't get it. The problem is that they don't care enough to get it. A free iPod is certainly nothing compared to what the RIAA contributes to their campaigns each year. The root of the problems with Congress is that they are all out of touch with the people they are supposed to be serving. Even the good ones are too afraid to stand up to the others, and don't deserve the jobs they have. The Senate was supposed to be something other than what it is now, and it's our fault. Every time I hear someone (even myself) blaming these people for the terrible job they all do, I am reminded by a little voice inside my head that it is our fault, not theirs. We allow it, and we all deserve it. Instead of free iPods, we should give them free plane tickets back to the states from which they came.
Aside from my rant, this won't work, but the world needs idealistic organizations with hopes and dreams for a better future, so let them do it and see where it goes. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1bush and cheney have ipods i am sure alot of congress already do..
the only thing this will do is give the riaa an easy way to bribe congressmen with free mp3's - pmcall221, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1i don't think they can accept an IPod since it would violate congressional gift rules. Current congressional/ lobbyist scandals aside.
- wilf_brim, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Not a bad idea, but if they are honest, it won't work. An iPod exceeds the $50 gift limit, the Senators and Representives would not legally be able to accept them. Which isn't to say they won't, however.
- bryan8m, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Waste of money I say. I doubt most congressmen have the time or interest to mess around with an iPod.
- polo3, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Somewhere I read that computers were banned from the floor of the senate. Do these count? Blackberries were allowed only after a committee changed some rules. Don't quote me, but I think the whole computer ban was way back when computers were really noisy, and the article said that now that laptops were much quieter, the congress-human should be able to bring in a computer instead of lugging in boxes of files.
- hangman, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Has anyone considered what our government would be like if it were made up of individuals in the 20 - 40 age range? We are being represented by a segment of the population that doesn't even seem aware of the Internet beyond sending email, and I take the liberty in assuming that most Representatives and Senators rarely write an email themselves! Think about all of your parents and how tech savvy they are. Multiply this by the way technology has become so heavily integrated into our lives and you have an equation for disaster. There is an escalating problem in the aging population's capacity to use, let alone understand, technology. Educating our aging population would help, but how about we just replace them with people of a much younger generation. Some fresh blood. New and novel ideas. Dare I say, even a few geeks? Now, the problem with that lies in that our government positions are bought and sold, not really elected, and I personally don't know anyone in this age bracket, myself included, that is even interested in running for public office because of all the bureaucratic BS.
- monofonik, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Btw, do you still have to use the inrecibly brain-damaging iTunes? Or do the modern ipods work as usual usb-drives?
Can't stand their proprietary stuff, I want freedom. Freedom to choose what program to use with my media player. If I ever will buy one.
iTunes is completely optional. There's tonnes of software for Mac, Windows and Linux for iPods, some of which are completely portable. - zizzybaloobah, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Why is it such a good idea to give the politicians iPods, a product that relies so extensively on DRM?
Here is my modest proposal: Give the politicians iPods with hot tunes from the iTunes Music Store, give their staffers WMA-compatible players with Y! Music downloads.
Hilarity ensures when it's discovered that the staffers' content won't play on the politicians' iPods. - quastor, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0For all of you that keep saying this can't happen because it's illegal to give Senators gifts over $50, from TFA's FAQ:
1. Aren't Senators prohibited from receiving gifts?
Senators are prohibited from receiving gifts that exceed $50, but in-kind donations to their campaigns are subject to different rules. We'll be sending these iPods to their campaign offices, and we'll be encouraging them to use the devices for "campaign related" activities like watching news clips and learning about important constituent issues like balanced copyright. We've consulted with lawyers about this and are confident it's all perfectly legal. - Lionhart, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0"Waste of money I say. I doubt most congressmen have the time or interest to mess around with an iPod."
lol. Government representitives have more freetime than anyone. Besides the surpeme court of course. - jpesicka2, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0at my school, all the teachers got free 20GB iPod Photo's (4G), it's weird because my school got g4 iMac's, 30 of them for $1000, that's what I know, my school is on the apple student discount list, now to order my macbook pro & get $150 off, ithat's what i wish i someday could say, if i had the money
- MacGyver, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Just what we need, more free ***** for the incompetent politicians that run our great country. Lets setup a group of ipod lobbyists.
- error, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0They're all old and deaf. If it was iHearing Aids then i'd be all for it.
- Wallaceh, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0For what we are paying them, they can afford to purchase their own iPods. I mean, wouldn't it be smart for them to stay in touch with 'the people' before passing the laws that will govern them?
Hey Senator! Instead of purchasing that next box of Cuban cigars... get an iPod!!! (yeah I know, that was lame.) - SirBriggs, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0If I had money, I'd donate.
- clickwir, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I don't like the broadcast flag, sure I hate the big companies behind MPAA and RIAA. But I don't think this is a good way to go about doing things.
By doing this you are no better than the MPAA/RIAA with their lobbying. - opera, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Question: "What would happen if all Senators had an iPod?"
Answer: The iPod iSuck iCock hype would grow even larger and people like iYou would iPost even more iArticles like this on iDigg.
iHate. - bossm4n, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I would rather send them a copy of my health insurance premiums that are spiraling out of control. As a small business owner, before long, we won't be able to provide insurance to our employees, but Senators don't give a damn, they get all their benefits for free, for life. Why, because pharmacuetical lobbyists are lining their pockets. I'll send them an Ipod, if they shove it up thier collective asses.
- tsupersonic, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0If the senators had an iPod, they would play Brick, Parachute, and Solitare instead of playing around with its music capabilities, hell maybe even pictures.
- trogdoor, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Sorry, didn't refresh before posting.
- kidjay, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0some of them would actually spend negative time working because they dont work any now (dear sen. kerry)
- trogdoor, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0One problem might be that a senator accepting anything, even just an ipod, from a partisan group could be seen as a bribe.
- Neonlights, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0put copyrighted material on it and throw them in jail after they get it lol ... no i think this is a good idea I'll be honest I'm not going to pitch in but I hope it works out for them. :-)
- CaptSnuffy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0All that will happen is that they'll get their iPods and marvel at how easy it is to use and conclude that corporations make superior products and miss the entire point, because they don't live with technology and digital rights like we do. Older generations don't quite understand everything going on in the online world; they won't look at an iPod and see DRM, they'll see a well-designed and easy to use product that works the way it was intended. You can put your music from CDs or the itms on it and listen to it, they won't use it and then wish they could play FLAC! They'll overlook the complaints about the RIAA because they just won't even run into a problem when using the iPod.
- Ruckus21, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0If all senators had ipods it would be a federal offense to copy C-span to it because more of the people would realize what those boneheads do everyday. Chaos ensues
- ben.0081, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Thats my Teddy!
- pezz453, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0worst idea ever. including communism.
- crapulent, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I thought about donating, but noticed the iPac site isn't using SSL, oops, nevermind, they are now. Need another reason not to donate ... I'm a federal contractor (could be, you don't know), shucks, can't donate.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Um. I'm pretty sure it's not legal for them to except gifts above about $25.
- Nanx, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Very good use of tax dollars..buying wealthy senators iPods, yeah, good idea.
- mynameisob3l, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0"What would happen if all Senators had an iPod?"
apple wankers would start stupid digg articles about it? oh, wait... too late. - dragulaaeop, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Shouldn't it be titled "What would happen if all Senators knew how to use an iPod... or a computer for that matter?"
- JustinPM, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I don't think this would do ANYTHING. Given that the most expensive iPod is roughly $400, think about the money these guys are getting from the lobbiests. It pales in comparison, and I'm banking on the fact that they go with whoever has the most money. Oh, and I think I would use a DAP that's not connected at the hip to a music store.
- mckone, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0This is an interesting idea. If we give our representatives the benefit of the doubt, supposing they really are there to represent our interests as citizens, it is really important that they have a personal appreciation for what we find valuable. It could be really helpful to give them more of a connection to the masses, so to speak. That really goes beyond the iPod, though.
- crainte, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Yes because bribing the government is the correct way to do things .....stupid **AA
- jk_baller23, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I think we need to give them some internet lines similar to Korea/Japan too, because the internet in the US sucks. I think the US places 16th in the broadband speeds.
- Kericr, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Free iPod to a senator: $300
RIAA/MPAA campaign donations: tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars per senator if they wanted.
RIAA/MPAA wins. What we need to do is elect more technologically savvy senators. Therefore, I say Barek Obama for president in 2008, since he's had his own podcast since he came into office. - kigol, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0should be engraved with "Vox Populi, Vox Dei"
- tsupersonic, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0"Btw, do you still have to use the inrecibly brain-damaging iTunes? Or do the modern ipods work as usual usb-drives?"
You don't have to use iTunes. It does suck (at least on Windows side, haven't tried the Mac), They're not the meant to be together (iTunes and iPod). You can use Winamp (with an additional plugin, forgot the name, search the winamp site) or you could use Realplayer. Another alternative that works fine is SharePod, I love that, and I would recommend that if you're not gonna use iTunes. - rebrad, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Well, if what I read about the iPod lawsuits is true, the Senators next purchase would be hearing aids because of the inherent iPod defect that causes hearing loss.
- Deuterium, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0It is based on the false premise that all people like to listen to music. I have found that as I grow older (40 now) I don't listen to much music at all. Even if I received a free iPod I wouldn't listen to music. I suspect that our Congress men and women are roughly the same. But hey I could sell it on EBay and then buy something I'd really like.
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