And Congress said unto man: Let there be digital, and there was digital.
That's about the gist of the cable transition about to unfold later next month, as a switch from analog to digital signals will be made. On Feb. 15, all television operating off over-the-air signals will go black and fuzzy, no longer enabling the viewer to watch their favorite episodes of "House" or any number of annoying infomercials.
The move, as easy as it will occur (you literally have to do nothing if you live anywhere near civilization), was questioned by the newly inaugurated president and Democrats on Capitol Hill. Apparently, Obama and the Dems feel that not enough Americans will be prepared for the transition, resulting in mass pandemonium the likes of which this nation has not seen since Orson Welles' broadcast of "War of the Worlds" in 1930. And that was pretty bad.
Kudos to you Mr. President for caring so deeply about each and every American and their love of television, but in all honesty, there are probably a hundred other aspects of American society that need fixing first (apparently we're having an economic problem).
Congress's decision to veto the Obama suggestion may be the right move, because who hasn't seen those annoying "Get your digital converter box now for FREE!" adds on TV. And who doesn't have the capability to Google "digital transition, Feb. 15" and access the FCC's explanatory Web site about how the transition is going to go down? I'll tell you who... people who don't deserve to have TV in the first place.
If calling a toll free number or accessing an Internet site to download a free coupon is too much work, than maybe you shouldn't be staring aimlessly into the tube in the first place.
brandon