License question

[Larry Yaeger]

[Apologies if you receive this twice.  I think the first send bounced because my email client added an HTML mailto link to the previous poster's email address.  This time it should all be plain text.]

On Sep 2, 2016, at 11:13 AM, michael norman <michaeltnorman at gmail.com> wrote:
> The licence fee is cheap.

I so sincerely wish I could pay the license fee.  I'm an unwilling moocher from the US that would joyfully be a subscriber if they would only let me.  I've been watching British telly since it was radio.  I dearly love the Goons.  Actually met Spike Milligan and Harry Secombe, at a do in Brighton.  And I could go on for pages and pages of the British programming I've enjoyed over the years.  I buy DVDs over here.  I've bought tons of PAL VHS tapes and Region 2 DVDs in London over the 40+ years I've been visiting as often as possible, which required buying multi-standard players.  I would and do happily "vote with my dollars" for Auntie Beeb, and agree she is the best single source of television programming on the planet.  I've spent a lot of time in London, including a year on sabbatical, but I've never managed to actually move there.  Anybody need a strong computer programmer on that side of the pond? :)

That said, I find the pejorative, condescending tone of some posters about non-subscribers offensive.  It's corporate and political bureaucracy that prevents me from paying for my BBC programming, not anything I have control over.  And if it bothers you that I watch this brilliant programming, well good.  Suffer.  You're just being a prig, and you deserve the angst.  That's my 2p.

- larryy

P.S. Even though I replied to his message this is not directed at Michael Norman; I completely agree with his observation that the license fee is cheap, and more than worth it.