And they never offered me any free in-perpetuity spectrum loan either. ;-) BTW, I think the original Homestead Act is still considered by most to have been a reasonably good and popular idea. - Tom Cliff Benham wrote: > Free Cheese? I never got any free cheese! > > John Willkie via OpinionJournal.com wrote: > > >>OpinionJournal >>[IMG][1][IMG][2] >> >>Your friend John Willkie thought you might be interested in this article[3] > >>from OpinionJournal[4] and forwarded it to you. > >>REVIEW & OUTLOOK >>The Digital Homestead Act >> >>The government offers to subsidize your TV watching. >> >>America's mandated conversion to all-digital television broadcasting drew a >>step closer Wednesday, when the Senate agreed with the House on how and when >>to do it. According to plan, the transition will take effect on Feb. 17, >>2009. That's when TV stations that now transmit analog signals--around since >>the 1940s--must switch to digital broadcasting. >> >>But wait, there's more! What we like to call the Digital Homestead Act will >>also launch the most mockable government handout program since the cheese >>giveaways of the Reagan era. Of course, things have changed since the street >>distribution of surplus cheddar (caused by dairy subsidies) a >>quarter-century ago. The reasoning behind the latest scheme is a lot dumber. >>Essentially, Congress proposes to spend up to $1.5 billion handing out $40 >>vouchers to millions of Americans who don't need the money--so that they can >>keep using obsolete technology. >> >>But let's back up a bit. Most people won't notice a change in 2009. They >>willalready have digital TVs (all new sets sold after mid-2007 must be >>digital), or they will still be subscribing to cable or satellite services >>that can send digital signals even to analog TVs. >> >> >> >>[IMG] >> >>Yet Congress has latched onto the factoid that some 15% of households don't >>have cable or satellite. They still receive signals on analog TVs the old >>free-to-air way, using an antenna to get local network stations that >>broadcast in analog. This setup won't work when all broadcasts go digital. >> >>Here's where the absurdities start piling up. The bipartisan party line is >>that many of these antenna folks are elderly ladies in nursing homes or >>people too poor to pay for digital TVs or basic cable. And since they need >>television in order to keep abreast of their democratic rights, e.g., to see >>political ads, Congress says that they must be given financial aid so they >>can rush out and buy a set-top converter box that will let them see the >>newfangled signals like the real digital homesteads do. >> >>Never mind that an estimated price of a converter box by 2009--$50--is the >>cost of a few cigarette packs in New York or perhaps a bag of organic >>produceand some free-range chickens. And don't bother pointing out that >>UncleSam doesn't reimburse people when their TVs break, or when they must >>payfor cable because they can't receive a clear local signal. This is >>different, subsidy advocates insist. "This is the government making your TV >>go black and then paying only part of the costs for some of the people to >>make it work again," Gene Kimmelman of Consumers Union told the New York >>Times. >> >>Fancy that: The government taking something away and not giving it all back. >>Ever heard of taxes? Another canard is the notion, put forth by at least one >>gushing editorialist, that the vouchers are "free money," since they will be >>financed through an auction of old analog frequencies. Sounds like >>taxpayer-financed "free" medical care. Or, to look at the voucher program >>another way, if the government threw $1.5 billion from helicopters instead, >>does anyone doubt that it would eventually find reasons to claw back an >>equalamount? >> >> >> >>[IMG] >> >>One universally acknowledged truth--even in Congress--is that the people who >>gobble up many of those vouchers will not be needy. Millions of households >>with satellite dishes and new big-screen TVs also have at least one old >>analog set lying around, and each family is entitled to two $40 vouchers. >> >>As we learned when many of the non-poor joined long queues for Reagan >>cheese,Americans would stand in line for marmoset pelts if they were labeled >>"free." To encourage such grabbiness in 2009, Congress has earmarked $5 >>million for voucher advertising. Mark your calendars. >> >> >> >> >>--- Links --- >> 1 http://www.wsj.com/?jopinemaowsj >> 2 http://opinionjournal.com/ >> 3 http://www.opinionjournal.com/taste/?id=110007715 >> 4 http://opinionjournal.com >> >> >>---------------------------------------------------------------------- >>You can UNSUBSCRIBE from the OpenDTV list in two ways: >> >>- Using the UNSUBSCRIBE command in your user configuration settings at >>FreeLists.org >> >>- By sending a message to: opendtv-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word >>unsubscribe in the subject line. >> >> >> >> > > > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > You can UNSUBSCRIBE from the OpenDTV list in two ways: > > - Using the UNSUBSCRIBE command in your user configuration settings at > FreeLists.org > > - By sending a message to: opendtv-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word > unsubscribe in the subject line. > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- You can UNSUBSCRIBE from the OpenDTV list in two ways: - Using the UNSUBSCRIBE command in your user configuration settings at FreeLists.org - By sending a message to: opendtv-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word unsubscribe in the subject line.