Nov. 6, 1995


To:     Newt Gingrich, Speaker
        U.S. House of Representatives
        2428 Rayburn House Office Bldg.
        Washington, DC 20515-1006

From:   Daniel Ross
        424 S. 7th St.
        Las Vegas,NV 89101-6902
        phone (702)388-0924
        Internet danross@netcom.com

Dear Mr. Speaker:

I think that Congress and the federal regulatory agencies have been wasting
the taxpayers' time and money, just puttering around by selling out minor
assets like the radio spectrum, the health care system, and the national park
system.  The government's financial problems could be ended once and for all by
selling out some really major assets instead.  Here are some examples of assets
to sell:

1. The atmosphere. I am confident that private enterprise would be willing to
    pay an enormous sum to own the atmosphere.  They then could charge each
    resident a fee for breathing.  People certainly derive personal benefit
    from breathing; why should they not be expected to pay a user fee?  People
    unable or unwilling to pay should either abstain from breathing, or else
    breathe imported air and export their exhalations.  Leftist socialist
    liberal communists may raise 2 objections to this plan, but there exist
    ample legal precedents to refute their objections.  The objections would
    be:
        Objection: Use of the atmosphere always has been free in the past.
        Refutation: Use of the land in North America always had been free
        until the arrival of the first European settlers, who did not hesitate
        to appropriate the land into their private ownership.
        Objection: Americans are guaranteed life, liberty, and the pursuit of
        happiness. Breathing is essential for maintaining life.
        Refutation: Breathing is no more essential for life than is food, and
        food is not free.
    Side issue: Motor vehicles also alter the atmosphere, but presumably that
    is subsumed in the gasoline or diesel fuel tax.
    Side issue: Immigrants could be denied breathing privileges for their
    first 3 years of residence.  In this way, the United States could maintain
    a generous policy of permitting immigration, yet still not be overwhelmed
    by a huge influx of foreigners.
2. The audio spectrum.  Any person or thing which emits any audible sound
    would be required to pay rental to the new owners.  The owners would be
    permitted to offer a choice of flat-rate rental, or rental on a per-sound
    basis.  Non-payers would have to be silent ... absolutely silent.  The
    penalty for non-compliance could be made very stiff.  For example, tall
    trees in national forests which creak or sigh in the wind without
    authorization and payment by the Forest Service, could be cut down and sold
    for lumber.
3. Time.  The entire future could be partitioned into intervals of varying
    duration, and auctioned to the highest bidder.  Then, for example, anyone
    who wishes to exist in the interval from June 3, 1996 10:17 AM to June 3,
    1996 10:18 AM would have to pay a fee to the owner of that interval.
The examples above should suffice to convince you that the largest sources of
potential revenue to our government have yet to be tapped, and that the
opportunities for privatization have not been explored adequately.

Keep up the good work of changing government as we know it.


                                        Still a citizen,

                                        Daniel Ross