More Government Handouts: Congress Giving Away $40 Coupons to by NEW TV

Have you gotten your free $40 coupon to buy a new HDTV?

The US goverment is giving away 1.5 billion in coupons.

Bread and circuses as the Romans use to say.

To request a coupon, consumers can apply online at http://www.dtv2009.gov starting Tuesday. The government also has set up a 24-hour hotline to take requests, 1-888-DTV-2009 (1-888-388-2009).

 

haha wowwwwwwww

nothing like a running up the debt like a teenager running up his mom's credit card.

good post, this is ridiculous.

 

I wish it was hilarous. Congress is giving away 22 million coupons for $40 each. I guess if they are going to pay off your subprime mortgage then you should have a tv to go with it.

You can read about it here

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080102/ap_on_hi_te/digital_tv;_ylt=AmLSNhrZKyVQZMo5ak9QpICs0NUE

 

Boy, they are really pushing it! I almost forgot about the need to convert. Ugh!

 

If you check that you don't have cable you can get two $40 coupons.

This is America and you need two government subsidized tvs that are MADE IN CHINA

 

one of these days you're gonna go to the bar to get a drink and some guy will say "hey don't worry bud, it's on the house!! the federal government can pay for that ya know!"

 

Which candidate supports giving free beer

They can do it like food stamps where you get a 'card' with $500 a month that you can use at the liquor store

That will be a very popular program and 'Joe Sixpack' will get his for once.

We can pay for it by taxing the other guy.

 

It appears to be a coupon only for the converter.

 

I am not for this program, it however was the government who forced everything to digital. Making many in the country for instance, who can not get cable having tv's that will no longer work.

Why couldn't they have kept the analog alive

 

There is something insane about a government that is focused on promoting certain types of tv broadcasting and then is underwriting the spread of equipment to support it rather than more substitive issues like life and death, healthcare, saftey etc.

It is as if the govt wants to keep us consuming keep us watching tv and never thinking about real issues.

The whole thing...from forcing the country to go to a singular new system to underwriting the spread of equipment for this is totally insane.

wtf? who is responsable for this insanity?

 

Without looking up the relevant Bill, and who voted for it, I can already tell you that there is one House Member that I know did not approve of "this insanity". Of course, he's the most likely to be labelled insane by the neocons.

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s109-1932

 

The $40 coupon is for the converter box. You will only need it if you are using an antenna.

The analog broadcasting standard used in the USA since the 1950s is inferior to standards used in Europe and much of the planet. The move to digital offers a lot more options and is easily upgradeable. While I don't agree with the plan to "flip the switch to digital" on February 17, 2009, it looks like there will be a lot of long-term benefits that come with the move.

There is also a monetary incentive (follow the money). The government is auctioning the analog wavelengths and expects to pull in billions in new licensing revenue. I also read that this revenue is supposed to be used to pay down the national debt. It will be interesting to see if the current bunch of goons running Congress actually does that. I think it is required as part of the Debt Reduction Act of 2005.

 

I'm for that!!!!

Maybe the govt could put a tax on something to cover the 40$ coupons...more wonderful news from our democrat-led-producing-the-lowest-ratings-for-a-congress-ever congress.

 

Why doesn't the freaking government use that money to build a free wireless network for the entire country???? WTF!!!! They want people to be brainwashed by TV! This is BS!

 

Thanks for the references Guerilla:

The mish mash of elements of that bill make it virtually incomprehensible to the lay person.

It has no focus on any one topic. It defies the ability of rational people to evaluate the perspective of votes by members of congress.

Its actually a disservice to the public. Buried beneath the volume of disconnected issues is the issue about bandwidth of TV, some other FCC stuff and this $40 coupon deal.

Who the hell can figure out what congress is doing. No wonder the polls show a strong dislike for congress.

The vote from Congress was interesting. So much on party lines. Paul was one of only 9 Republicans voting against this mishmass bill in conjunction with the majority of democrats.

Still it so hard to figure out.

Send stuff to DC and it'll get f*cked up. Ugh

 

The truth is that the Goverment is taking back the channels and then they will hand them out to politically connected people for a fraction of the value.

Hilary Clinton made a couple hundred thousand from a public signal deal when Bill was governor of Ak

 

Partisanship is blind...

The original Bill for the $40 credit was introduced in 2005, which was the 109th session of Congress. The Dems came into power in the 110th session.

Thanks REPUBLICANS and d16man!

 

Yeah I thought so.
I deleted my original post to look through it one more time so I would not look like an assclown

Blaming dems for something the repubs did makes sense to me, you also?

 

As I said, partisanship is blind. Everyone is looking to point a finger at a group, when we should be looking in the mirror for allowing these fools to get elected.

One thing about the RP campaign has really inspired me. I will be a relentless harasser of any candidates who pursue bad legislation. I haven't figured out how yet, maybe a PAC to run local advertising against them, and certainly an affordable and low cost aggressive web campaign.

This nonsense has to stop, and voting for the next fool, without laying out expectations for them is not going to get it done. We have to fax their offices, visit, call them relentlessly, challenge them when they stump, write letters to the editor and boycott businesses which support their campaigns.

Sound revolutionary? I think it is...

 

Agreed that you have to look beyond the label of party affiliation. John Paul Stevens and Souter din't work out really well.

Stevens was joined in the majority by Justices Anthony M. Kennedy, David H. Souter, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen G. Breyer to affirm 'Property Seizures' or municipal land grabs of private property to be sold to the highest bidder.