05.24.10
Microsoft is Lobbying in the United States and Buying Montana Brains
Summary: American EDGI comes to Montana and Microsoft pretends to donate to children when it fact exploiting them with zero-cost introductory rate non-Free (proprietary) software
MICROSOFT lobbies aggressively in all parts of the world. Here is a partial listing of what goes on in the United States and in Europe. Our Wiki contains more detailed listings about Microsoft influence in governments, but it is work in progress.
ZDNet has passed on some interesting new charts about lobbying. Take a look.
When it comes to understanding how decisions are made in DC, the smart money says, “Follow the money.” That’s why yesterday’s Chart of the Day from Business Insider is so interesting.
The thing about lobbying is, a lot of it is not disclosed. It certainly is a problem in Great Britain and in the United States it ought to be a problem too (because it is secret, it is impossible to assess just how significant the “invisible” component is). Two years ago we accumulated some posts on the subject. As of late, Microsoft claims to be spending ~$1.7 million per quarter on lobbying, according to sources [1, 2].
Microsoft Corp. spent $1.72 million in the first quarter to lobby the federal government on technology in health care and other issues, according to a disclosure report.
Microsoft is once again playing the “charity” card using a bunch of spin which The Register (UK) deemed as worth promoting. Over in the United States, Microsoft carries on with the American EDGI programme that we recently covered in [1, 2, 3].
Governor Brian Schweitzer is selling out to Microsoft, giving Montana’s citizens for Microsoft to ‘educate’ (the proper term is train or indoctrinate). Here is just one report among several others from the local news [1, 2, 3].
The Montana Department of Labor and Industry announced today an innovative public-private partnership with Microsoft’s Elevate America Program.
It’s almost as though the authorities decided to go on and say to their citizens, “here. Go learn some Microsoft.” The convicted monopolist will happily indoctrinate the public with state support. It doesn’t really cost Microsoft anything, except bandwidth maybe. Watch the latest fluff piece from CNN about how Microsoft is indoctrinating kids under 10 (there are several other examples like that). What are they trying to accomplish and what would that tell Montanans about those so-called ‘skills’ that they acquire with the state’s endorsement? That it’s elementary school level? CNN defines “genius” by conformity and they are raising a generation of mental vegetables, serving a monopoly (anti-social) while losing one’s social life. It is nothing to be proud of. Honestly. A 9-year-old girl helps Steve Ballmer get richer.
Microsoft went further last week. It gave some bogus ‘donations’ of licensing, indoctrination, and curriculum hijack.
Officials with Microsoft said that Club Tech Centers of Excellence represent the latest evolution of Club Tech, a BGCA program initiated by a $100 million donation from Microsoft ( News – Alert) in 2000 to provide software, training and development of a digital literacy curriculum.
Microsoft claims to have donated $100 million, but it donates an absolute 0. It actually earns from it because those children who were allowed to just rent some copy of software are also becoming vassals of Microsoft’s industry. How is that a donation? These typical trick were mentioned here many times before and hopefully they are widely understood. Venom can often be disguised as an appetiser or a gift. Here is repetition of an example we covered last week. It has just been published under another headline, namely “MICROSOFT: Microsoft and Boys & Girls Clubs of America Bring 21st Century Technology Skills to America”’s Youth”
Microsoft has a real obsession with children. Rather than entice them with candy Microsoft gives them ‘free’ (gratis) software to get addicted to. When they grow up they are subservient and they have this same effect on their peers. It’s almost akin to child abuse when Microsoft defines and determines for them what software they should use, well before they are shown alternatives or given any real choice opportunities. Microsoft has even been airing advertisements where toddlers are marketed as fans of Microsoft’s products. It can hardly descend any lower than this level. █
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