The Boob Tube

The World Economy is collapsing. The US economy is in Shambles. Unemployment is rising as rapidly as it ever has in history. Bankruptcies and foreclosures are running rampent.

And....OUR congress voted on a bill today to extend the deadline for the change over of digital tv signals from analog:

"Delaying the upcoming DTV switch is the right thing to do," said Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John D. Rockefeller IV, D-W.Va. and author of the Senate bill, in a statement. "I firmly believe that our nation is not yet ready to make this transition at this time. The extra four-month delay would give the Federal Communications Commission time to address its overextended coupon program. Earlier this month, the $1.34 billion program to subsidize the cost of digital converter boxes ran out of money and $40 coupons with some 2.5 million people still on the waiting list. Digital converter boxes, which cost between $40 and $80 and translate digital signals back to analog, are necessary for some viewers' older television sets to continue working after the transition."

Before I continue is anybody else thinking to themselves wtf?

We're saving this?

3 points and then I'll end for the day:

1. How has 4+ years not been enough time for this transition to occur? Four years is the length of a term as president! Four years is the length of time it takes to graduate from highschool or college! In four years you could have 3 children! Four years is not the amount of time it takes the greatest nation in the world to figure out how to switch from analog TV to digital TV.

2. Why have we as tax payers spent $1.34 billion dollars (which will no doubt increase over the next four months due to the "waiting list") in order to subsidise people who "can't afford" $40 digital converters to continue watching television? Intuitively one could reason that people would need a dwelling place to watch tv at home and thus need a converter. As a result wouldn't it be better to spend our tax money on keeping people from going homeless so they can have a place to even consider watching tv? I would encourage you to re-read Counting to a Billion to properly remember how much $1.34 billion is and what we could conceivably do with it.

3. Why do we continue to elect officials who feel this bill should take precedence over all of the other social and economic issues that are current plaguing this country?

Things will not change unless we vote differently. I'd encourage you to track this bill and those who voted for it in the Senate. When they come up for election perhaps you should think twice about voting for them again. When the economy continues to get worse remind yourself of what they could have been doing instead of voting to allow 2% (or less) of the population to continue watching tv.