European Parliament President Criticizes ACTA

from the so-now-what... dept

Mon, Feb 13th 2012 5:56am — Mike Masnick

We wrote about the mass protests against ACTA over the weekend, but the open question is whether or not they did any good. At the very least, it appears to be waking up more politicians to the problems with ACTA. European Parliament president Martin Schulz has finally made a statement on the matter saying, "I don't find it good in its current form." This is important, because the key thing that matters in terms of getting ACTA ratified in the EU is how the EU Parliament votes.

Of course, Schulz's choice of words is unfortunate, because it implies (incorrectly) that ACTA is still in the negotiation process and there may be another "form." That's not the case. This is the final version of the document, which has been around for about a year already. Perhaps he should have spoken up earlier... Still, hopefully these protests and comments from folks like Schulz will make other MEPs recognizes that voting for ACTA would be a mistake. It's all up to them at this point.

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Filed Under: acta, eu, eu parliament, martin schulz

41 Comments

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Anonymous Coward, 13 Feb 2012 @ 6:14am

I wonder what will happen when US foreign aid to some of these countries gets cut off as a result?
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- Hephaestus (profile), 13 Feb 2012 @ 6:19am
  
  Re:
  I wonder what happens when the pirate party doubles it ranks because of this.
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  - Anonymous Coward, 13 Feb 2012 @ 7:25am
    
    Re: Re:
    How much money does the Pirate Party pump into those economies? If it's any at all I'd be surprised. Awfully hard to build roads and bridges with stolen content.
    [ link to this | view in chronology ]
    - AC.hu, 13 Feb 2012 @ 7:28am
      
      Re: Re: Re:
      It is also awfully hard to build roads and bridges with purchased content.
      [ link to this | view in chronology ]
      - Hephaestus (profile), 13 Feb 2012 @ 7:32am
        
        Re: Re: Re: Re:
        To funny roads made from old DVD's and CD's.
        [ link to this | view in chronology ]
        
        The eejit (profile), 13 Feb 2012 @ 7:43am
        
        Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
        But they need replacing after 5 years, at that rate.
        
        Planned obsolescence FTW!
        [ link to this | view in chronology ]
        
        Hephaestus (profile), 13 Feb 2012 @ 7:56am
        
        Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
        Imagine Canadian roads done this way. The blank media surcharge per mile of road would bankrupt the nation.
        [ link to this | view in chronology ]
        
        Anonymous Coward, 13 Feb 2012 @ 8:57pm
        
        Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
        Roads made out of old DVDs and CDs? Do you know what that would mean - it would mean entire communities sharing the same DVDs and CDs as they drive over them. That's unforgivable blasphemy that would cause untold damage to the economy!
        [ link to this | view in chronology ]
    - Hephaestus (profile), 13 Feb 2012 @ 7:42am
      
      Re: Re: Re:
      You really are to stupid to be allowed to breed. No political party pumps money into any economy. All they do is create inefficient bureaucracies that waste money. The population pays for the roads and bridges through taxes.
      [ link to this | view in chronology ]
      - Anonymous Coward, 13 Feb 2012 @ 10:46am
        
        Re: Re: Re: Re:
        I'll type slowly in the hope you can flow along. The contrast was between foreign aid and the economic activity created by the Pirate Party.
        
        Apparently you do not understand the role of the DNC and RNC in the raising and spending of funds.
        
        Please see the following link: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2010/04/21/rcps_tom_bevan_on_rnc_dnc_spending.html
        
        I will await your lavish apology.
        [ link to this | view in chronology ]
        
        Hephaestus (profile), 13 Feb 2012 @ 12:49pm
        
        Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
        Nice video about US political parties and what they spent money on. Again you avoid the issue.
        
        What does the RNC and DNC spending money on office supplies and trips to Hawaii have with the EU, the German pirate party, or building roads and bridges in the EU?
        
        Yes we all know trolls are now supplying links. Thanks, but next time try supplying a link that has to do with argument.
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    - TDR, 13 Feb 2012 @ 9:43am
      
      Re: Re: Re:
      To address your other fallacious assumption, AC 13, digital content cannot be diminished, because it can be copied infinitely. Therefore, repeat after me:
      
      You cannot steal what cannot be diminished.
      You cannot steal what cannot be diminished.
      You cannot steal what cannot be diminished.
      You cannot steal what cannot be diminished.
      You cannot steal what cannot be diminished.
      You cannot steal what cannot be diminished.
      You cannot steal what cannot be diminished.
      
      Repeat as necessary until understanding and acceptance sink in.
      [ link to this | view in chronology ]
      - Anonymous Coward, 13 Feb 2012 @ 10:29am
        
        Re: Re: Re: Re:
        The Supreme Court called. They disagree.
        
        Justice Breyer: �deliberate unlawful copying is no less an unlawful taking of property than garden-variety theft.�
        
        Justice Breyer: �deliberate unlawful copying is no less an unlawful taking of property than garden-variety theft.�
        
        Justice Breyer: �deliberate unlawful copying is no less an unlawful taking of property than garden-variety theft.�
        
        Justice Breyer: �deliberate unlawful copying is no less an unlawful taking of property than garden-variety theft.�
        
        Justice Breyer: �deliberate unlawful copying is no less an unlawful taking of property than garden-variety theft.�
        
        Repeat as necessary until understanding and acceptance sink in.
        
        Justice Breyer: �deliberate unlawful copying is no less an unlawful taking of property than garden-variety theft.�
        [ link to this | view in chronology ]
        
        Anonymous Coward, 13 Feb 2012 @ 11:47am
        
        Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
        Old man is old, news at 11
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- Prisoner 201, 13 Feb 2012 @ 6:23am
  
  Re:
  I wonder what happens in a few years when copyright gets reduced to 5 years as a result of massive popular support of Pirate Party issues?
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- AC.hu, 13 Feb 2012 @ 6:28am
  
  Re:
  Yes, the EU countries are flooded with US foreign aid anyway, that will show them ...
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Anonymous Coward, 13 Feb 2012 @ 6:45am
  
  Re:
  oh noes ... no more U.S. aid to Germany, We're gonna starve
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Anonymous Coward, 13 Feb 2012 @ 6:57am
  
  Re:
  The US will borrow less money I guess? I really wish to see it happen
  
  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1393960/US-gives-billions-foreign-aid-worlds-riche st-countries-asks-borrow-back.html
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Planespotter (profile), 13 Feb 2012 @ 8:18am
  
  Re:
  Nice..
  
  Like tying USAID to missile defence systems?
  
  Pass ACTA or we will stop sending vital medicines and food!!
  
  Sense of entitlement?
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
  - Anonymous Coward, 13 Feb 2012 @ 10:35am
    
    Re: Re:
    Steal American intellectual property and expect the cash to keep flowing?
    
    Sense of entitlement?
    
    This one will be a no-brainer in Congress (pun intended).
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Anonymous Coward, 13 Feb 2012 @ 6:21am

as usual, now shit is hitting fan, politicians are realising that people know how bad ACTA and similar bills/laws will be for everyone who uses the internet. all they are now doing is trying to cover their arses by speaking out against it/them. they had plenty of opportunity to allow others from groups representing the people to enter the discussions but refused to do so, even keeping the outcome of each meeting secret. i hope they are learning lessons from this behaviour, but i doubt it! there should never, ever again, be meetings that involve the people and their rights held in secret! no big corporation(s) should ever again be allowed to influence laws, by any means, just to benefit themselves!
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johnjac (profile), 13 Feb 2012 @ 6:32am

effect in the US
If the EU doesn't sign, what effect will this have in the US? Are there a certain number of signatures required for ACTA to take affect?

I mean as much effect as a 'executive agreement, we swear this doesn't require change is US law' can have an effect.
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- Troglodytarum_venator (profile), 13 Feb 2012 @ 6:42am
  
  Re: effect in the US
  A likely result will be that the BRIC countries wont sign (Brazil, India, Russia and China) Rendering the whole of ACTA worth less than the paper it is printed on.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
  - tqk (profile), 14 Feb 2012 @ 7:50am
    
    Re: Re: effect in the US
    A likely result will be that the BRIC countries wont sign (Brazil, India, Russia and China) Rendering the whole of ACTA worth less than the paper it is printed on.
    
    I think it's already worth less than the paper it's printed on.
    
    However, it will be signed by the US, Canada, Japan, ... which will result in a massive outflow of business from those countries to those countries not signing onto ACTA. I've already read of one guy this morning who's moving everything he owns online to hosting in the Netherlands. We've already seen "cloud" providers tell people that due to US invasive laws, their data's not safe in the USA.
    
    Way to shoot yourself in the foot. As if the economy wasn't bad enough.
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MadCow (profile), 13 Feb 2012 @ 6:39am

Time bomb?
I'm still worried this is a time bomb. While the governments can "say" they're going to shelve it for now, there was a previous commenter who said they'll just wait till the public is no longer watching then pass it through quieter next time.

With the reach and money that **AA has, it's certainly possible they'd be willing to play the waiting game until it's passed. Unless mass people decide to threaten governments and we aggressively attack copyright laws, I see this all subsiding at some point and corporations pushing through what they wanted anyways.
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Chris From Poland, 13 Feb 2012 @ 6:45am

Attempts at law similar to ACTA will be made time and again. The idea is to remain vigilant and oppose all such acts. The best solution is to liberalize existing law BEFORE another such act will be put forward.

And no, there will be no significant American backlash towards European countries because Obama is attempting to be reelected. He will not risk such negative PR.
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Chris From Poland, 13 Feb 2012 @ 6:47am

Attempts at law similar to ACTA will be made time and again. The idea is to remain vigilant and oppose all such acts. The best solution is to liberalize existing law BEFORE another such act will be put forward.

And no, there will be no significant American backlash towards European countries because Obama is attempting to be reelected. He will not risk such negative PR.
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- Anonymous Coward, 13 Feb 2012 @ 7:28am
  
  Re:
  And no, there will be no significant American backlash towards European countries because Obama is attempting to be reelected. He will not risk such negative PR.
  
  How many electoral votes you guys carry?
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
  - Anonymous Coward, 13 Feb 2012 @ 7:30am
    
    Re: Re:
    In these economic times, foreign aid cutbacks are a very popular political message. No backlash at all.
    [ link to this | view in chronology ]
    - John Fenderson (profile), 13 Feb 2012 @ 9:29am
      
      Re: Re: Re:
      But there would be. Remember, the center-to-left side of the spectrum has a number of misgivings about Obama. This is not an issue that would make them happy. He may not want to risk them sitting home like in 2010.
      [ link to this | view in chronology ]
      - Anonymous Coward, 13 Feb 2012 @ 10:36am
        
        Re: Re: Re: Re:
        I doubt President Romney will be very helpful on this issue.
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Chris From Poland, 13 Feb 2012 @ 7:36am

It's not about us, it's about what his Republican opponents could spin on him if Obama were to implement such a backlash against Europe.
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- Call me Al, 13 Feb 2012 @ 8:03am
  
  Re:
  Considering one criticism levelled at Obama is that he is "too European" I wouldn't be surprised if a backlash was a vote winner in the US in the current climate.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Anonymous Coward, 13 Feb 2012 @ 10:23am
  
  Re:
  The Republicans will hold a parade for him. They only like spending money on wars and boondoggles in their own districts.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Another AC, 13 Feb 2012 @ 9:59am

Wow
Lots of people getting upset over a silly treaty that doesn't even change current laws.
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- DH's Love Child (profile), 13 Feb 2012 @ 1:43pm
  
  Re: Wow
  Perhaps not, but it handcuffs the legislature for future lawmaking. And I thought it was an 'executive agreement' not a 'silly treaty'...
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
- tqk (profile), 14 Feb 2012 @ 8:37am
  
  Re: Wow
  Lots of people getting upset over a silly treaty that doesn't even change current laws.
  
  Just woke up have you, Rip van Winkle? Wikipedia:
  
  Opponents have criticized the act for its adverse effects on fundamental civil and digital rights, including freedom of expression and communication privacy. The Electronic Frontier Foundation among others, have derided the exclusion of civil society groups, developing countries and the general public from the agreement's negotiation process and have described it as policy laundering. The signature of the EU and many of its member states resulted in the resignation in protest of the European Parliament's appointed rapporteur (Kader Arif), as well as widespread protests across Poland [among others].
  
  Emphasis mine. It's not just, "Lots of people getting upset." It's lots of people livid over the blatantly anti-democratic selling out of personal freedoms merely to enrich deep pocketed special interests who're buying our elected representatives' favours in order to prop up obsolete business models at the expense of everyone else.
  
  Wake up!
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
SHANNAH SCHILIT, 14 Feb 2012 @ 10:56am

Just To Be CANDID
Those Who SIGNED ACTA Were Duped Into Literally Signing Away "BREATH"....Now That The UNDERGROUND Clone-Slave FORCES are being BUSTED....ACTA would Make It "legal" to continue Treating These HUMAN-CLONES Like Nothing Other Than: "INTELLECTUAL-PROPERTY"...Which Means They can be Abused!--Enslaved!--Raped!--PROGRAMMED For Criminal Behavior!....you NAME it!--what happened in "cobal clone factory"....is just ONE of Many DETESTABLE Crimes Birthed from THE VISIONS and FUNDING Of The FATHER OF CLONES....the so called "creator"....."Rael" the so-called "MESSIAH" and FATHER OF ACTA....How So?--Without ACTA Labs Like "Clonaid" (though that one is more just pseudo-image)....MAY Continue Abusing Clone-Forces!!--and DENY THEIR SOUL (Since Raelians Don't Believe In Soul)....Therefore!--Reducing BREATHING CREATURES To Nothing But ACTAs "Intellectual-Property"...ALREADY It Takes A CLEVER Person To MAYBE (if it is even possible) Distinguish Between NATURE-BORN HUMAN and LAB-BORN HUMAN!--which means?--who is to say?--SEE if you can tell... "Robotic Human Clones Mingle with People in Glimpse of Future" by Brian Merchant @ theUTOPIANist....How Gross It Would Be!--If Breathing Creatures Were Treated As SEX-SLAVES (as is the chat discussion)...where are the ETHICS protecting Youth....Protecting ALL BREATH....the SLIME behind ACTA thinks it is "GOD" Enough To Own Breath!!!--as his: "INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY"....if EYE find Anybody Makes A CLONE Of Me--And Uses Me as SEX-SLAVE...I Swear On My Fuckin' TITS This World Is Flippin'....And RAELS Got The Keys...MONSANTO AND ACTA On The Ring....NOBODY Touches My DNA!--Especially Not That SLIME so called "MESSIAH"....No Matter What!--We Are THE FREE WRITERS....We Are THE FREE ARTISTS....We Are The TRUTH SPEAKERS....And ALL Of You Can USE Any Of MY Words ANY Time!--For Freely I Have Received So Freely EYE SHARE...For EYE Am But The Vessel...And You Are But The Vessel...And WE Are But The Channel...that TRUTH AND LIBERTY AND JUSTICE Flow Through....

"....formed man from the DUST of the EARTH. He BLEW into his NOSTRILS the BREATH OF LIFE, and man became a LIVING BEING." (tAnAKh GEN.2*7)

I Declare Upon The FOUNDATION OF THE TANAKH that That which is Given BREATH is given SOUL and that which hath SOUL hath the Innate Right TO FREE WILL....Challenge That Rael!--you SLIMY INITIATOR VISIONARY AND FUNDER OF THE MOST BRUTAL AND INHUMANE SLAVE-CORP OF 2012

ALIEN: Why Don't You Cast A SPELL On ACTA My Little Witch!
WOMAN: But What?--But How?
ALIEN: NATURE Is Your Ally!

***************************
Oh ACTA You Come As A JUST-LAMB And Under The CONTRACT You Are A VILE WOLF With Bloody Teeth!--Preying Upon THE INNOCENT!--Upon Whose Authority Doth ACTA Act!--Bring To Me The Source of This INITIATION!--May He LOOK Into My Eyes!--May Meta-Dust Blow From Here!--through Europe and All Continents BLOWING These Pseudo-Documents to SHREDS!--and straight into the MOUTH of their Vile Source!--I DEMAND To Know BEFORE EYE SIGN ACTA Upon Whose Governmental Authority Exists AT ITS ROOTS!!!!--Is This Human-Degradation BORN From!--For To THE DEMOCRATIC AND FREE REPUBLIC UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Am I A Citizen Of!--but I do NOT surrender to The Government of The Inferno!--so unless you can PROVE "Dante" is BY NO MEANS at ACTAs Roots!--than I DECLARE ACTA Was The Serpent CRUSHED Long Ago...And This Is Just...."Repeat-Episode"....But THE VICTORY Is Already Claimed!--CLEAR EYES OF JUSTICE UPON THE POLITICIANS WHO DO NOT SURRENDER TO TYRANNY....And as for those who DID....The WIND Doth Blow...Upon ALL Of US....

X
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
SHANNAH SCHILIT, 14 Feb 2012 @ 11:01am

Just To Be CANDID
Those Who SIGNED ACTA Were Duped Into Literally Signing Away "BREATH"....Now That The UNDERGROUND Clone-Slave FORCES are being BUSTED....ACTA would Make It "legal" to continue Treating These HUMAN-CLONES Like Nothing Other Than: "INTELLECTUAL-PROPERTY"...Which Means They can be Abused!--Enslaved!--Raped!--PROGRAMMED For Criminal Behavior!....you NAME it!--what happened in "cobal clone factory"....is just ONE of Many DETESTABLE Crimes Birthed from THE VISIONS and FUNDING Of The FATHER OF CLONES....the so called "creator"....."Rael" the so-called "MESSIAH" and FATHER OF ACTA....How So?--Without ACTA Labs Like "Clonaid" (though that one is more just pseudo-image)....MAY Continue Abusing Clone-Forces!!--and DENY THEIR SOUL (Since Raelians Don't Believe In Soul)....Therefore!--Reducing BREATHING CREATURES To Nothing But ACTAs "Intellectual-Property"...ALREADY It Takes A CLEVER Person To MAYBE (if it is even possible) Distinguish Between NATURE-BORN HUMAN and LAB-BORN HUMAN!--which means?--who is to say?--SEE if you can tell... "Robotic Human Clones Mingle with People in Glimpse of Future" by Brian Merchant @ theUTOPIANist....How Gross It Would Be!--If Breathing Creatures Were Treated As SEX-SLAVES (as is the chat discussion)...where are the ETHICS protecting Youth....Protecting ALL BREATH....the SLIME behind ACTA thinks it is "GOD" Enough To Own Breath!!!--as his: "INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY"....if EYE find Anybody Makes A CLONE Of Me--And Uses Me as SEX-SLAVE...I Swear On My Fuckin' TITS This World Is Flippin'....And RAELS Got The Keys...MONSANTO AND ACTA On The Ring....NOBODY Touches My DNA!--Especially Not That SLIME so called "MESSIAH"....No Matter What!--We Are THE FREE WRITERS....We Are THE FREE ARTISTS....We Are The TRUTH SPEAKERS....And ALL Of You Can USE Any Of MY Words ANY Time!--For Freely I Have Received So Freely EYE SHARE...For EYE Am But The Vessel...And You Are But The Vessel...And WE Are But The Channel...that TRUTH AND LIBERTY AND JUSTICE Flow Through....

"....formed man from the DUST of the EARTH. He BLEW into his NOSTRILS the BREATH OF LIFE, and man became a LIVING BEING." (tAnAKh GEN.2*7)

I Declare Upon The FOUNDATION OF THE TANAKH that That which is Given BREATH is given SOUL and that which hath SOUL hath the Innate Right TO FREE WILL....Challenge That Rael!--you SLIMY INITIATOR VISIONARY AND FUNDER OF THE MOST BRUTAL AND INHUMANE SLAVE-CORP OF 2012

ALIEN: Why Don't You Cast A SPELL On ACTA My Little Witch!
WOMAN: But What?--But How?
ALIEN: NATURE Is Your Ally!

***************************
Oh ACTA You Come As A JUST-LAMB And Under The CONTRACT You Are A VILE WOLF With Bloody Teeth!--Preying Upon THE INNOCENT!--Upon Whose Authority Doth ACTA Act!--Bring To Me The Source of This INITIATION!--May He LOOK Into My Eyes!--May Meta-Dust Blow From Here!--through Europe and All Continents BLOWING These Pseudo-Documents to SHREDS!--and straight into the MOUTH of their Vile Source!--I DEMAND To Know BEFORE EYE SIGN ACTA Upon Whose Governmental Authority Exists AT ITS ROOTS!!!!--Is This Human-Degradation BORN From!--For To THE DEMOCRATIC AND FREE REPUBLIC UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Am I A Citizen Of!--but I do NOT surrender to The Government of The Inferno!--so unless you can PROVE "Dante" is BY NO MEANS at ACTAs Roots!--than I DECLARE ACTA Was The Serpent CRUSHED Long Ago...And This Is Just...."Repeat-Episode"....But THE VICTORY Is Already Claimed!--CLEAR EYES OF JUSTICE UPON THE POLITICIANS WHO DO NOT SURRENDER TO TYRANNY....And as for those who DID....The WIND Doth Blow...Upon ALL Of US....

SHANNAH SCHILIT

X
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Musketballdan, 16 Feb 2012 @ 3:59am

hmm...
The Data Protection Act 1988 is a United Kingdom Act of Parliament which defines UK law on the processing of data on identifiable living people.

Section 1 of the Data Protection Act 1984 tells us that data is personal if it relates to a living individual "who can be identified (a) from those data, or (b) from those data and other information which is in the possession of, or is likely to come into the possession of, the data controller".

We are also told that personal data "includes any expression of opinion about the individual and any indication of the intentions of the data controller or any other person in respect of the individual".

It is a criminal offence for Other Parties to obtain this personal data without authorization from the individual.

The Data Protection Act creates rights for those who have their data stored, and responsibilities for those who store, process or The person who has their data processed has the right to require that data is not used in any way that may potentially cause damage or distress.

The matter is clear: all three types of data with which we are concerned here (IP addresses, event data and personal details) are therefore personal data, because the ISP is a "data controller" for the personal details of subscribers.

The ISP is therefore bound, by section 4(4) of the Data Protection Act 1988, to abide by that Act.
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Musketballdan, 16 Feb 2012 @ 4:38am

EU pfft!
David Cameron did the right thing in my opinion when he gave the EU two fingers on their proposal for more money... Have people been looking at the news and the fact that Greece is in flames, this is what happens when you pour money into a Socialist state, the socialist's get rich and the people get screwed!
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