Obama’s First Policy Stumble

It’s amazing. President Barack Obama didn’t even last his first week before one of his boneheaded policy desires started fast-tracking through Congress. Though seemingly innocuous to some, the push to delay the digital television transition is capricious and ill-advised.

As reported by the AP:

The Senate appeared close to agreement late Thursday on a bill to delay next month’s planned transition from analog to digital television broadcasting to June 12 — setting the stage for a vote early next week.

I find even the idea that a delay is being seriously considered to be exasperating. The timing of this hand-off has been on the books for years. Laws have been passed so that it could happen at all. Any sort of delay will not only result in costs to many of the companies involved with the switch, but is yet another affirmation that procrastinators, deniers, and (yes, I’ll say it) stupid people are the ones the government deems the most worthy of salvation.

Let’s look at the coupon program. President Obama has said that it should be extended because the funds ran out an not everyone who needed them was able to get their coupons. Oh. My. God. You mean they will actually have to pay retail for their converter boxes? The horror.

OK people, listen up. When the coupon program was announce almost a year and a half ago, the FCC chairman said that there were not enough funds in the program for everyone to get two coupons…so apply early. Of course the fly in the ointment was that for the first six months of the program, converter boxes weren’t exactly a commodity item. Even so, since the program has run out of money to print new coupons (at least until old ones age-out), the program clearly worked as it was intended. Most Americans—at least the ones who listen—have already received and used their coupons. Exactly as Congress planned.

This was never realistically expected to be an error-free transition. It was known that people would have problems. Those living on the fringes of reception were definitely going to be the ones most obviously taking a hit. They sort of fell into the category of acceptable losses.

The fact is, the delay will cost businesses real money. Those stations that have to not close down their analog transmissions will have to now pay un-budgeted money to keep that transmitter going, as well as all of the equipment that was likely headed out the door (so the room with that door will likely have to be maintained for a while longer as well). Then there are the energy costs that it takes to run everything. Also, all of that analog bandwidth has been allocated for other uses. You don’t think that a lot of company’s bottom lines are going to be affected if they can’t actually implement their business model on time? Is that really something that Congress and the Chief Executive want to do in a troubled economy?

Here’s the fact: the transition will have bumps. People with cable/satellite (i.e. most of the country) won’t have any problems at all…probably. People grabbing over-the-air broadcasts will have a harder go of it: some will have to buy better antennas, some will have to get cable/satellite service, some will have to pay the whole $40 (or so) for a converter box, and some will just have to go without. That’s going to be the case if this transition happens in February, June, or three years from December. Human stupidity has no time limit.

The thing is, that his is just one more symptom of a bigger and costlier problem: government pandering to those who don’t know what they are doing. (The argument can be made that the government doesn’t know what it’s doing, either, and so they are serving their constituency well.) We have been, and will continue to, throw money toward people who have already proven that they don’t know how to manage money. Whether those people are bank board members, or some couple that got a mortgage for three-times more house than they could ever afford doesn’t matter. These are poor custodians of money. So we throw more their way hoping that they’ll suddenly, magically, become responsible with what they are given.

See…I’m a complete fool. I just mailed off the last payment for my car. Yup, that’s right, I paid off the full term of a loan without missing a payment or paying late. Wonder of wonders, can it truly be that someone in this country actually pays off their debts, and doesn’t assume more debt than they can pay? Surely this heretical practice must be stopped.

I’m tired of being the one that is seemingly shat upon by my country. I play by the rules. I pay (perhaps overpay) my taxes. I pay all of my debts…on time. I stay out of jail. I don’t run red lights. I obey the speed limit (well…more or less). And for this I have to pay to bail out banks, rescue people who can’t understand a loan agreement, and who can manage to get elected to high office? Feh.

It’s long been observed by con men: “A fool and his money…were lucky to get together in the first place.” It’s hard not to think that we are little more than a nation of fools. I’d rather it not be. I still have high hopes for this new administration. The fact that it said at the outset that it would make mistakes. That speaks of the beginnings of wisdom. I can only hope that when mistakes are recognized (hopefully before they are implemented) that they are corrected. That speaks of a higher degree of wisdom.

Unfortunately, with any government policy, you sort of have to let the chips fall where they may. I’ve had eight years of the chips falling right on my head (and we’re not talking poker chips, we’re talking great big ol’ cow chips). Frankly, I’m tired of it. As I said, since I’m well hooked up with cable in my house and I’m not invested in the wireless companies that will benefit from the freed airspace, when this digital TV transition occurs doesn’t have a major impact on my life. But this new attempt at a bailout does say that the Washington mindset in these troubled times is…well, troubling. It makes me shudder even more at the coming $850+ billion bailout.

So…I encourage all y’all to write, call, email your Senators and Representatives and tell them that the time for change has indeed arrived. We Americans are made of stronger stuff than a few TV channels. I mean, if we fold just because we can’t see Oprah, how in the blue blazes are we going to stand up to something more menacing (think: Dr. Phil….gives me the willies just typing that out)? Our enemies must be quaking in their boots.