Oh me, oh my! The most vulnerable segment of our population, the old and useless, don’t seem to know much about the upcoming transition to digital TV. Some simply don’t know what’s going on—chalk that up to the horrendous ad campaign the government has run so far—while others, like 69-year-old ray of sunshine Bertha Graham, refuse to acknowledge the transition on patriotic grounds.
Quoth the raven:
You would expect this stuff in Cuba, the places where there is a dictatorship. You shouldn’t have to buy converter boxes or do whatever they say to do. You should be able to use what you’ve got.
Ms. Graham doesn’t even want to let her son help her out, using the two government-provided coupons to get a converter box.
OK, so she’s a crazy person, but what about other folks, folks who don’t act like jerks for the sake of it?
The government has spent a whopping $5 million advertising the transition. Compare that to how much is spent on pork or earmarks or whatever they call useless pet projects these days.
And this matter not just because, “Oh, someone won’t be able to watch Dancing With the Stars anymore.” Think of how many people still get vital information—daily news, storm warnings, and the like—from good ol’ fashion television. It’s these people who are gonna be most affected by the transition, not us flat screen TV owners.
And what happens when next year rolls around, and everyone and their mom goes to claim a government converter box coupon? Will we run out? Will there be chaos? Where did The Island go?
All questions to ponder. And while you’re pondering, be sure to take this government quiz to become a TV Deputy. Needless to say, I passed the test, and am now an official TV Deputy. You get this certificate for your troubles.
I don’t know, maybe if our government spent less time creating little quizes and phony deputy credentials we’d still be a shining city on a hill.