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03/13/2005: "Overreach Alert!"

News Flash! Reuters, 3/1/2005: “Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Stevens said on Tuesday he would push for applying broadcast decency standards to cable television and subscription satellite TV and radio. ‘Cable is a much greater violator in the indecency area,’ the Alaska Republican told the National Association of Broadcasters, which represents most local television and radio affiliates. ‘I think we have the same power to deal with cable as over-the-air broadcasters…’” If there has been one quote this year that has summed up the aspirations and implications of the Right Wing’s current ascendancy on political power, this is it! First, consider that Stevens is not some whacko political wannabe speaking out of school – he is the Chairman of the Senate Committee with responsibility for the entire broadcast industry. In other words, this guy’s got the clout to follow through! Then consider that the pay TV penetration rate in the US is about 65%. Presumably that 2/3 of the population is perfectly OK with the choices they are currently getting from their service, considering that they keep paying the cable or satellite bill. How many of the majority of voters with pay TV access are anxious to have this service made consistent with the sensibilities of, say, Kansas? I’m guessing it’s maybe 30 or 40. Not percent, I mean 20 or 30 subscribers, the number who are bothered by the boob they see as they zip by HBO (which Hubby insists on having in the cable package) on their way to the Christian Shopping Channel to look at trashy jewelry. Now imagine this same situation replicated across every aspect of modern living, where right wing Senate committee chairmen have the clout to similarly Kansas-ize any government policy you can imagine. There’s good news and bad news in all of this. The bad news is that they have the power in the first place. The good news is that as they use this power they’ll get the couch potatoes who normally sit out elections off their butts and into the voting booths. So let’s play the official anthem of right wing fiscal policy (Money for Nothing by Dire Straits) and, to the reprise “I want my MTV,” raise our glasses to right ring overreach!