I understand switching to Digital TV is a big deal to the 8 people who still use rabbit ears or antennas to get the Price is Right and 2 local news channels but come on, stop putting it off. There has been another delay in the switch, this time four months, that will only effect people who don't pay for their programs anyway. The fact that I do pay for TV monthly and have to watch the scrolling announcement every ten minutes makes me angry. Then to realize all of the advertising, hype, and promotion was all for nothing.
The estimated number of people still using an antenna is 20 million, mostly poor and or elderly. However, the main reason for the switch is to free up more signals for emergency management. The good seems to out weigh the bad on this one. Besides, the government is giving away $40 converter boxes, you just have to go get one. 2.5 million people are on a waiting list for coupons because the government ran out of the 1.3 billion dollars it set aside to help people... watch TV for free. When satellite radio became popular the government didn't buy my a receiver.
Maybe it is me but it seems like we could use a billion plus dollars for something else? I guess we can rejoice in the fact that the money is at least being spent on TV and not on overseas abortion clinics.
2 comments:
TV vs. overseas abortion clinics seems like a pretty harsh comparison.
But I don't understand your comment. With the reversion of the Mexico City Policy, tax dollars to NGO's may go to funding abortions. This could be sarcasm, but then you'd be questioning money spent on TV's as well (which you clearly are.)
So if it's sarcasm, how should government money be spent? Should we not shift our broadcast spectrum (or shift it but leave people to fend for themselves?) Should we not fund NGO's at all?
I believe in advances in technology, I have a new TV, Cell phone, Computer and so on because I invest in it. I do not think it is the government’s responsibility to pay for people to be able to watch TV. The boxes are $59. This is a small price to pay out of pocket to watch free Television. I think the less the government pays for my stuff the better.
I believe there are better ways government money could be spent. Until we have solved the unemployment problem, world hunger, genocide, and the ever melting polar ice caps we should watch our spending. Entertainment should be very low on our priorities in my opinion. As the nation buckles down the government seems to continue to spend money on Chinese made converter boxes. Reports say that the government has run out of cash but the government doesn’t even have any cash, we have been borrowing it from China for sometime now. Who is going to pay back that 1.3 Billion dollars spent just on converter boxes? A portion of it may come from auctioning off the freed up space but who is going to pay the rest? Taxpayers?
Word is house democrats want another $650 million to keep going but this still will not give everyone a chance to watch free T. Furthermore, this project has been years in the making, will it ever even happen or are we just throwing a lot of money into a doomed project?
Sarcasm? Not me
Post a Comment