Republicans defeated a bill to postpone upcoming transition from analog to digital television

[Gonad the Barbarian]

I'm glad any further delay thus far has been defeated. I wish they would just concentrate on freeing up funds for more coupons. And I don't know why so many of you think the people who get their TV with an antenna are the folks that need to read more or watch less TV. But these are probably the very people who may have trouble coming up with the $40 many of you so casually dismiss.

 

[MovingTarget]

Originally posted by: JS80

Originally posted by: feralkid

Originally posted by: JS80

Originally posted by: scruffypup
Well according to some who support the delay here in Arizona, those on the indian reservations who don't have running water and are bare foot,... who couldn't save $1 a month for the price of a converter box over last 18 months (when added to the coupon) won't get the important emergency notice that the world is coming to an end!!!

Don't ask me why they have televisions when they have no shoes,... priorities I guess,...

lol lazy ass indian reservation residents!

Poor, not lazy.

Poor = lazy *

*applies only to this country

FAIL. Try again. Either you have lead a very sheltered life from the unwashed masses or you just don't understand what it means to be poor in this country.

 

[MovingTarget]

I was hoping that they would delay this a bit considering what had happened with the converter coupon program. If that hadn't been the case, I would have said go ahead and do the switch-over as planned. As it stands, the average person see no real benefit to this switchover, just another piece of equipment they have to buy and set up to receive a signal that quite frankly isn't as reliable as the old analog signals. If you live on the edge of a broadcast range, you would get some static/snow under the analog set, but overall a watchable signal. Not so with digital. Besides, those with rabbit ears do have other things going on in thier lives besides TV. On another note, saying that we've had five years to prepare for this isn't quite fair. Many television markets have had no digital signal until the past year. In addition, until the coupon program went live, converter boxes were few and far between as there simply was no demand for them.

 

[Kanalua]

Originally posted by: scruffypup
Well according to some who support the delay here in Arizona, those on the indian reservations who don't have running water and are bare foot,... who couldn't save $1 a month for the price of a converter box over last 18 months (when added to the coupon) won't get the important emergency notice that the world is coming to an end!!!

Don't ask me why they have televisions when they have no shoes,... priorities I guess,...

If you've actually been to an AZ Indian Reservation you would know that Indians don't need analog converts as nearly every trailer, hollow brick home, hogan, lean-to, wikiup, etc has a direct-tv or dish network satellite dish attached to it...

My wife's Grandparents live in Mountains of the Navajo reservation and they had Satellite TV before they had a telephone line, indoor plumbing and an electrical line out to their home...

 

[HannibalX]

Originally posted by: marincounty
Gotta keep the corporations happy. Nevermind that millions won't have TV. Nice work.
It's almost as if Republicans are determined to remain the minority party.

Cry me a river.

 

[LumbergTech]

From my understanding it really wasn't delaying the broadcast switch , just allowing analog signals to continue for a bit longer ...is this wrong?

 

[ericlp]

Well, good, they really need to just let this happen.

 

[Wheezer]

Originally posted by: MovingTarget

Originally posted by: JS80

Originally posted by: feralkid

Originally posted by: JS80

Originally posted by: scruffypup
Well according to some who support the delay here in Arizona, those on the indian reservations who don't have running water and are bare foot,... who couldn't save $1 a month for the price of a converter box over last 18 months (when added to the coupon) won't get the important emergency notice that the world is coming to an end!!!

Don't ask me why they have televisions when they have no shoes,... priorities I guess,...

lol lazy ass indian reservation residents!

Poor, not lazy.

Poor = lazy *

*applies only to this country

it certainly does not mean that television should be a prio

FAIL. Try again. Either you have lead a very sheltered life from the unwashed masses or you just don't understand what it means to be poor in this country.

It means that television should not be a priority in your life....read a goddamned book...the PUBLIC libraries are full of them.

tv is a "nice to have" thing

Shelter, electricity, heat and food are "need to have" things.

If you are sacrificing your "need to have" for your "nice to have"....well, that is on you.

If you are poor, and yet can afford 3.75 per pack of smokes and smoke 2 packs a day you can afford a new digital tv....a 20" digital tv is under 500.

We have been warned about this for the last 2 years if you can't scrap together 500 in that amount of time OR can't scrap together enough for a converter box over that amount of time but have found ways to pay for your beer, and your cigarettes....well, you deserve to be poor.

 

[nobodyknows]

Originally posted by: Wheezer

Originally posted by: MovingTarget

Originally posted by: JS80

Originally posted by: feralkid

Originally posted by: JS80

Originally posted by: scruffypup
Well according to some who support the delay here in Arizona, those on the indian reservations who don't have running water and are bare foot,... who couldn't save $1 a month for the price of a converter box over last 18 months (when added to the coupon) won't get the important emergency notice that the world is coming to an end!!!

Don't ask me why they have televisions when they have no shoes,... priorities I guess,...

lol lazy ass indian reservation residents!

Poor, not lazy.

Poor = lazy *

*applies only to this country

it certainly does not mean that television should be a prio

FAIL. Try again. Either you have lead a very sheltered life from the unwashed masses or you just don't understand what it means to be poor in this country.

It means that television should not be a priority in your life....read a goddamned book...the PUBLIC libraries are full of them.

tv is a "nice to have" thing

Shelter, electricity, heat and food are "need to have" things.

If you are sacrificing your "need to have" for your "nice to have"....well, that is on you.

If you are poor, and yet can afford 3.75 per pack of smokes and smoke 2 packs a day you can afford a new digital tv....a 20" digital tv is under 500.

We have been warned about this for the last 2 years if you can't scrap together 500 in that amount of time OR can't scrap together enough for a converter box over that amount of time but have found ways to pay for your beer, and your cigarettes....well, you deserve to be poor.

Face the truth. If these poor people had a HDTV you would be bitching about that too.

 

[Gunslinger08]

I don't see why this is an issue. It's been announced for over a year. The government gave away coupons to cover the cost. We can't drag our asses on everything to please everyone.

I must have missed the "TV service" in "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness".

 

[Xavier434]

Originally posted by: JS80
Poor = lazy *

*applies only to this country

You are so full of shit. Those who do not work are typically lazy unless they are disabled. However, the poor does not only consist of those who do not work so your assumption is far from accurate. Most of them do work. They just don't get paid enough to move up in life regardless of how many unnecessary expenses they cut out of their lives.

 

[theeedude]

You cannot get a coupon now. I requested one, am on the waiting list.

 

[miketheidiot]

Originally posted by: dahunan
Like.. how does the delay hurt anyone?

i want my stations to switch over, all of my local stations are still broadcasting analog only.

If you delay it, they will keep delaying as well

 

[StageLeft]

Haha, there are going to be sooooooooo many pissed off people, many of whom literally

 

[PingSpike]

Originally posted by: LumbergTech
From my understanding it really wasn't delaying the broadcast switch , just allowing analog signals to continue for a bit longer ...is this wrong?

How could that happen? I thought they used the same spectrum?

 

[nobodyknows]

Originally posted by: joshsquall
I don't see why this is an issue. It's been announced for over a year. The government gave away coupons to cover the cost. We can't drag our asses on everything to please everyone.

I must have missed the "TV service" in "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness".

The coupons have a limited time to cash them in and there were shortages of the devices. People had their coupons expire waiting for the converters to show up, so they started waiting towards the end to get the best selection of devices. That loaded up the system so too many people were trying to get the coupons at the same time. The end result is now they want to milk the end users for more money so they can continue to use the TV they bought and paid for to recieve free OTA signals.

They should have just alowed people to buy them and then gave them 90 days to send in the reciept for reimbusment. but this was the Bush adminstration so doing something the right way wasn't going to happen just because of general principle.

WTF does that have to do with "Life, liberty, and happiness"??

 

[Doc Savage Fan]

Originally posted by: nobodyknows
They should have just alowed people to buy them and then gave them 90 days to send in the reciept for reimbusment. but this was the Bush adminstration so doing something the right way wasn't going to happen just because of general principle.

So are Obama and Dems going to do it the "right way" and show us how it's supposed to be done? Naw...they plan to continue with the Bush coupon program. So what was your point again?

 

[nobodyknows]

Originally posted by: Doc Savage Fan

Originally posted by: nobodyknows
They should have just alowed people to buy them and then gave them 90 days to send in the reciept for reimbusment. but this was the Bush adminstration so doing something the right way wasn't going to happen just because of general principle.

So are Obama and Dems going to do it the "right way" and show us how it's supposed to be done? Naw...they plan to continue with the Bush coupon program. So what was your point again?

All they can do is work with what the mess Bush handed them and try to get thiongs back on track.

So what was your point besides trying to derail the thread?

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: nobodyknows
They should have just alowed people to buy them and then gave them 90 days to send in the reciept for reimbusment. but this was the Bush adminstration so doing something the right way wasn't going to happen just because of general principle.

because people who can't scrounge the $40 together to get a box are really going to be able to be out of pocket on that $40 for three months

 

[Mursilis]

Originally posted by: marincounty
Gotta keep the corporations happy. Nevermind that millions won't have TV. Nice work.
It's almost as if Republicans are determined to remain the minority party.

Believe me, you'd be doing most of the country a favor removing TV from their lives. Our one household TV broke when I was a kid, and my parents delayed getting another for many years, due to the expense and for other reasons. It was probably one of the best things to happen to me back then, because I turned to books to pass the time and became a voracious reader. 99% of the stuff on TV is absolute garbage, and TV time is usually better spent doing almost anything else.

 

[CPA]

Originally posted by: marincounty
Gotta keep the corporations happy. Nevermind that millions won't have TV. Nice work.
It's almost as if Republicans are determined to remain the minority party.

So, it's the Repubs fault that "millions" (which I highly doubt) waited more than a year - remember the ads started running beginning of 2008! - to change?

 

[CPA]

Originally posted by: marincounty

Originally posted by: MikeyLSU
first off, this is a good thing, anyone who doesn't have a box by now was just lazy the past 5 years.

Second, republicans didn't stop this, Dems could have passed it if they wanted, but didn't get enough of their own votes.

Remember, they hold the majority, they can do what they want.

Uh, yes the Republicans did stop this. However...
Text
Gene Kimmelman, vice president for federal policy at the Consumers Union, which has been lobbying for a delay, said he hopes the House will bring the bill up again for a regular floor vote, which would only require majority support to pass. Wednesday's vote took place under a special procedure that required two-thirds support for passage.
House Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., said he is working with the Obama administration and congressional leaders to explore all available options.

"A clear majority in Congress supports postponing the transition and providing assistance to the millions of households that are unprepared," Waxman said in a statement.

Wednesday's House vote came two days after the Senate unanimously passed the bill, sponsored by Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John D. Rockefeller, D-W.Va. The Senate is expected to vote on the bill again ? possibly as early as Wednesday night ? to incorporate minor changes in the House version so that it can go directly to the White House for President Obama's signature if it clears the House next week.

G'DAMN it's a f'in TV! Are you seriously trying to make me feel sorry for these people Waxman? God, I feel like throwing a tv through a window right now.

 

[CPA]

Originally posted by: senseamp
You cannot get a coupon now. I requested one, am on the waiting list.

Good job waiting over a year to request one :roll:

 

[nobodyknows]

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: nobodyknows
They should have just alowed people to buy them and then gave them 90 days to send in the reciept for reimbusment. but this was the Bush adminstration so doing something the right way wasn't going to happen just because of general principle.

because people who can't scrounge the $40 together to get a box are really going to be able to be out of pocket on that $40 for three months

True, but that would be better then not getting any reimbursement at all or doing without your TV for 3 months. I think a vast (overwhelming) majority of people would be able to scrape up $40.

I guess they could have done it both ways, a time limited coupon or a reciept mailed in. Maybe just attach it to your taxes as a credit?

 

[nobodyknows]

Originally posted by: CPA

Originally posted by: marincounty

Originally posted by: MikeyLSU
first off, this is a good thing, anyone who doesn't have a box by now was just lazy the past 5 years.

Second, republicans didn't stop this, Dems could have passed it if they wanted, but didn't get enough of their own votes.

Remember, they hold the majority, they can do what they want.

Uh, yes the Republicans did stop this. However...
Text
Gene Kimmelman, vice president for federal policy at the Consumers Union, which has been lobbying for a delay, said he hopes the House will bring the bill up again for a regular floor vote, which would only require majority support to pass. Wednesday's vote took place under a special procedure that required two-thirds support for passage.
House Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., said he is working with the Obama administration and congressional leaders to explore all available options.

"A clear majority in Congress supports postponing the transition and providing assistance to the millions of households that are unprepared," Waxman said in a statement.

Wednesday's House vote came two days after the Senate unanimously passed the bill, sponsored by Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John D. Rockefeller, D-W.Va. The Senate is expected to vote on the bill again ? possibly as early as Wednesday night ? to incorporate minor changes in the House version so that it can go directly to the White House for President Obama's signature if it clears the House next week.

G'DAMN it's a f'in TV! Are you seriously trying to make me feel sorry for these people Waxman? God, I feel like throwing a tv through a window right now.

That's where you're wrong. It's noit just a TV. In rural areas it's your link to the news and especially the weather.