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 *Pages 1--1 from  Microsoft Word - 6011155545.txt*
 In  a  free  society,  government  would  not  "own"  the  airwaves,  any  more 
 than  it  would  "own"  publishing  houses,  "own"  land,  or  any  other  means 
 of  production:  activities  we  rightfully  associate  with  socialist  or 
 totalitarian  societies.  Government  should  auction  off  the  broadcast 
 spectrum  and  then  leave  programming  completely  to  the  private  market. 
 In  our  current  hybrid  system  of  freedoms  and  controls,  the  next  best 
 option  is  to  minimize  government  intervention  into  the  broadcast 
 market  and  reject  all  attempts  in  the  name  of  pursuing  the  "public 
 interest"  to  mandate  programming  or  to  control  in  any  way  how  broad-casters 
 use  what  should  be  their  own  private  property.  Current  inter-ventions 
 should  be  reduced  or  eliminated;  new  proposals  should  be 
 summarily  rejected  as  inappropriate  government  meddling  into  the 
 private  sphere  of  American  citizens.  If  the  public  does  not  like 
 the  programming,  it  can  switch  to  competing  forms,  including  turning 
 the  TV  off.  The  idea  that  Americans  need  government  to  tell  them 
 how  to  run  their  businesses  or  use  their  time  is  ludicrous.  The 
 government  simply  needs  to  get  out  of  our  way. 
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