Friday, October 21, 2005
Senate Bill Sets Spring 2009 Demise for Analog Television
Catch this crap!
The U.S. Senate now has a bill in front of it that is going to subsidize doing away with traditional analog TV transmissions and going all digital!
Let me remind you what the word "subsidize" means. The US government will take the money that comes out of your paycheck each pay period to insure that everyone can have the latest in television technology.
Read this!
"The draft does not specify how much money the government will set aside to subsidize the set-top boxes or just how this will be done. One idea under discussion is for consumers to make a co-payment and for retailers to bill the government for the remaining cost.
The House and Senate Commerce Committees are under pressure to set the date because the budget resolution requires them to raise revenue, or cut spending, to reduce the budget deficit. The sale of analog spectrum could provide at least $10 billion, according to an informal estimate by the Congressional Budget Office."
Now, I can understand how going digital is going to help the government. They are going to take the portion of the airwaves that they sold to broadcast TV years ago, and sell them to other people to use. That is where that $10 billion figure comes from.
But, when did it become the business of the Federal government to insure that every Tom, Dick and welfare recipient could get the latest in TV technology?
Last time I looked, cable TV was taxed, not subsidized. Now, the Federal government is going to cough up your hard earned cash to give, basically, the entire nation satellite TV.
Remember, the government has no money that was not yours first. The government's only income is taxes. Money that they take from you and me. (Yes, that's right, as a soldier, I pay Federal income tax, Social Security taxes, etc.)
BTW, have you looked at the label on the gas pump that tells you how much of the cost of each gallon of gas is taxes? If our government really thought that gas prices were too high and that oil companies were gouging us, couldn't they forego some of that for at least a few months?
Just thinking out loud.
You really should ask them. Look up your reps at the link and ask them.
The U.S. Senate now has a bill in front of it that is going to subsidize doing away with traditional analog TV transmissions and going all digital!
Let me remind you what the word "subsidize" means. The US government will take the money that comes out of your paycheck each pay period to insure that everyone can have the latest in television technology.
Read this!
"The draft does not specify how much money the government will set aside to subsidize the set-top boxes or just how this will be done. One idea under discussion is for consumers to make a co-payment and for retailers to bill the government for the remaining cost.
The House and Senate Commerce Committees are under pressure to set the date because the budget resolution requires them to raise revenue, or cut spending, to reduce the budget deficit. The sale of analog spectrum could provide at least $10 billion, according to an informal estimate by the Congressional Budget Office."
Now, I can understand how going digital is going to help the government. They are going to take the portion of the airwaves that they sold to broadcast TV years ago, and sell them to other people to use. That is where that $10 billion figure comes from.
But, when did it become the business of the Federal government to insure that every Tom, Dick and welfare recipient could get the latest in TV technology?
Last time I looked, cable TV was taxed, not subsidized. Now, the Federal government is going to cough up your hard earned cash to give, basically, the entire nation satellite TV.
Remember, the government has no money that was not yours first. The government's only income is taxes. Money that they take from you and me. (Yes, that's right, as a soldier, I pay Federal income tax, Social Security taxes, etc.)
BTW, have you looked at the label on the gas pump that tells you how much of the cost of each gallon of gas is taxes? If our government really thought that gas prices were too high and that oil companies were gouging us, couldn't they forego some of that for at least a few months?
Just thinking out loud.
You really should ask them. Look up your reps at the link and ask them.
