There is nothing, absolutely nothing, that the government won't spend taxpayer money on to try to curry favor with voters...
Consumers who depend on old-fashioned antennas to watch television won't miss the 2009 Super Bowl, but their analog sets will stop working soon afterward.
Analog TVs will no longer receive a signal come Feb. 19, 2009, unless users update their hardware to receive a digital signal.
Federal officials announced details Monday about how that transition will work, saying the government will help consumers buy the necessary equipment to upgrade to digital -- a converter box that attaches to the TV set.
The Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) said it is setting aside $990 million to pay for the boxes. Each home can request up to two $40 coupons for a digital-to-analog converter box, which consumer electronics makers such as RCA and LG plan to produce.
Prices for the box have not been determined, but industry and consumer groups have estimated they will run $50 to $75 each.
If you can afford to own a TV at all, can't you also afford to buy the $50 conversion box? This is just the latest in a long list of examples of politicians' insidious plan to make the American people expect cradle-to-grave care from the government. After that, there's nothing we won't agree to as long as the government takes care of our needs.
Are we a nation of Terry Schiavo's, wholly incapable of independent thought or action separate from the imperial government's influence? When I hear Americans rant about how much they love and value freedom, and then stick their hand out to their fellow taxpayers to pay for a converter box, it makes my skin crawl!
Hat tip to SFGate.com
No comments:
Post a Comment