So over the weekend I got one of those annoying chain letters via email. You know the ones that are like about the boy in Texas who can't afford the life-saving operation but the hospital has let him make $5 for every email that gets passed along around the world; or the one where Bill Gates is gonna give everyone $1000 for passing along their emails; or the one about the little girl wanting to spread peace throughout the world and raise money in the process for something. Ugh, I hate those. They aren't real people!

So anyway, I get this email over the weekend and it's actually one I can check up on and confirm it's a hoax. It's a horrible governmental alert saying that now the federal government wants to start charging for emails because it's effecting the postal service. They want to start charging 5cents per email and are asking everyone to pass this alert along. They mention some horrible congressman named Tony Schnell who wants to start taxing internet users $40 a month for internet use. They also want people to call their congressperson and oppose "Bill 602p." First of all, there is no Congressman Tony Schnell-- doesn't exist. Secondly, bills don't end in "p." Third, bills aren't just called "Bill"; they're either a House Bill or a Senate Bill. So I go to www.house.gov and check out this supposed bill. House Bill 602 is related to genetics. Senate Bill 602 is related to election reform. I do a search on bills relating to email and find nothing related to the annoying chain letter. It's not only obviously a hoax; it is a hoax and I was able to confirm it.

None of these hoaxes are real. They are just used to get people to pass along their email for some spam marketers to monitor to get real email addresses to send more spam. I really hate them though because they prey on people's civic-mindedness. Especially this government conpiracy one; it feeds on people's belief that the government is out to get them. Plus I have a sinking feeling that some opponent to the real House or Senate Bills 602 wanted to just get more people calling in and telling their congressperson to vote no on 602, without knowing that the issue was something completely unrelated--- like election reform!