The U.S Gov. Can’t Even Handle a Coupon for the Converter Box, or Ensure the Converter Box Will Work

Rep. Stubak looks like he stood in the wind for many years.

It’s those long winters in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (Rep. Stupak’s district).

Just another way to keep average workers on a leash.

Bee a good busy bee, work for the drone assimilator, be lucky to cover the switch for the music or movies that will buzz away your attention. Who among us does not hate napster?
Never mind your job going to China on the next boat. There’s a new ‘reality show’ on television.

I got my coupons and converter box a few months ago – so far works good. I simply will not pay for that chatter of CNN, etc. And I think the price for cable and satellite is ridiculous. Gotta have my free tv!

Tin-Foil Hat Theory (Converter Box Edition)

The Feds don’t really want the converter boxes to work. That way, people will go out and buy digital-ready TVs, thereby stimulating the economy.

Your a genius Cubbie!!

The converter program is kind of funny. I mean considering all the troubles going on in the world, the Gov’s big concern is making sure everybody has access to TV? It’s as if they said, oh no, how will we get all our propaganda thru? How will we influence elections? This is a real crisis!

OMG,what if people started thinking on their own? They might come after us with torches and pitchforks!

See how much of a genius I am..
You’re

Other than 30 Rock, there’s nothing else worth watching, and it’s more fun to watch it on DVD anyway.

Susan: I wish I could. Here, we can’t get any television channels at all without either cable or satellite. All reception to big city TV is blocked by the mountains. Ditto with most AM radio.

The Government must keep everyone connected to the matrix.

However,

You sure live in beautiful place!!

Only problem with that, is none of the TV’s have been made in the USA for quite a few years now.

Yep, its all about keeping us hooked to the propaganda tube. Even if you only get the big 3 you can still get “the word”. And don’t forget all the commericals that tell us to buy, spend and show us what we should buy and spend on today.

Our converter box has been working quite well using only rabbit ears it gets a picture that rivals cable or dish.

Michael Knight is sending me subliminal pro-Obama messages via Kit’s hood mounted lazer.
Oh, did I mention that one of those brainwashing channels is Retrovision?
Book’em, Danno, send them off to Git-mo!

I never understood the 90 day limit on the card. Mine came in the mail at a really busy time and when I finally got ready to use it, I realized it had expired three days before. I volunteer at a senior center and most of them can’t afford cable and I can’t tell you how many of them never saw the expiration date and actually didn’t know the card had expired until they went to buy the boxes.
Since the change doesn’t happen until Feb., it seems like the cards should have been good until that time.

I’m back…

Thanks Seattle! I appreciate your economic updates. BTW… Have you heard about the MLB Channel? It’s supposed to debut in January. That will get us not only through this off-season but the next years, too.

As I said it’s my “Tin-Foil Hat” theory.

The question Cubbie..
Are the Mariners going to do better than my stocks?

Rep. Stubak is obviously not the sharpest tool in the shed.

Basically Republicans are incompetent. Their only competency has been to grant favors to their buddies in the private sector. We have seen how that turned out. But this is what you can expect with the Repubs.

What is the benefit of expiring coupons? To limit the number of converter boxes you can get? Why have an expiration date at all? Just plain dumb.

Also, who’s brilliant idea is it to sell frequencies? Any half way smart business person will tell you to buy and hold real estate, and RENT IT. We should be RENTING these frequencies for 10-15 years. It is call recurring revenue.

I can’t tell you the last time I watched network TV. My TV watching is way down overall. I stick to Turner Classic Movies, HGTV, Lou Dobbs, Fox (1 hour tops), the History Channel, and of course BASEBALL (in-season). I listen to terrestrial radio, satellite radio, or radio online 75%-90% of the time. I’ve always been a radio buff. I have about three dozen radios around the house—everything from new transistors, to a CC Sangean, to a 1950′s aqua-colored Zenith with vacuum tubes! RADIO ROCKS!

Cubbie…I have a TV next to this computer that I very rarely turn on..Dinosaur medium!

When I bought my 300 a few years back I was surprised to find out that the satellite radio was the best feature..

Satellite radio is awesome..No going back to commercials

Didn’t notice that typo, Seattle, until a reread the thread. …and I TEACH English.

I would say… Yes! Though I don’t follow the Mariners much, I do know that they were pretty bad last year. The markets will not be up for quite some time from all I’ve read. The Mariner’s must be ahead of the markets! BTW… I lived in LA for many years, so in the AL West I’m an Angels fan, but I will support your supporting your local team.
We Cubbies fans can empathize with anyone whose teams tanked.

Seattle, we’d better get back on topic, or we’ll be “tossed from the game.”

I’ll look down-thread… We may not be able to comment on our own comments much longer.

I got XM Satellite Radio just for the MLB broadcasts.

What about the Fairness Doctrine? I think it was designed for the (dinosaur) days when there were only three networks, PBS, and a few local radio stations. The “powers that be,” who want to reinstate the Fairness Doctrine, fail to realize that it’s so 20th-Century. Of course, if you consider who’s proposing the reinstatement Pelosi, et al.), you readily conclude that they are OUT OF TOUCH when it comes to modern communications and information streams. Bottom line… the Fairness Doctrine violates the 1st Amendment, especially when it comes to political speech!

IMO

Rereading this thread (and probably talking to myself?)…

Tin-Foil Hat Theory (Satellite Signal Edition)

How about the Feds issuing tin-foil hats with antennae that receive satellite signals (instead of using those satellite truck mentioned in the video)? It would be like putting on those red and green glasses to watch a 3-D movie.

Hey! It’s getting late, and I’m getting punchy.

My first one expired (I thought I had time) so I ordered another one (we each get two) and then went down to Circuit City or the other similar big box electronics store and bought a converter box. I attached it and was amazed. Great pictures with rabbit ears and more channels. I have a flat screen that is used for DVDs only. I rarely watch TV.

Had cable and Dish satellite for awhile, but it was a time sink and really not worth watching for the most part. Chris Mathews love of Bush in 2000 was the reason I unplugged.

DoubleRider, he did point out that it is not wise to be doing this in the middle of Feburary.

I can’t watch Lou Dobbs too much, his blood pressure must be top of charts.

I like him, but in certian doses.

20 year old tv in trash, priceless. No replacement, freedom.

I pay for “basic cable” and have a 3 year old TV set which is for “emergency use” only. I rarely turn the beast on except to watch my latest netflix selection.

That those committees have met constantly for years and have implemented changes that may not work at all and are so far are mired with nothing but problems is just typical. They meet, they spend our money, they pat themselves on the backs, and then they divert the blame when it all turns to crap.

It still stimulates the U.S. economy when you go and purchase something from Best Buy.

I’m actually glad that there’s a possibility that they won’t work. It will force jerks like my father to pay for cable, which on his salary is very, very affordable (he’s just a cheap, stubborn a-hole…it took him years to even buy a VCR, or even a remote-controlled TV). Network TV is crap for the most part, and my mother likes cable TV.

I haven’t gotten cable yet mainly because Comcast is the evil empire and their customer service is well, the definition of an Oxymoron.

I have to admit I do miss Turner Classic Movies and a couple others, but it is do-able. There was a time I didn’t have a TV at all, and my quality of life really didn’t suffer.

When I add up what a cable bill would be for the year, I really can’t say it’s worth it to me at the moment. I’d rather just get DVDs from the library and watch them.

(Yes that is a cheapskate POV but I guess my BF – El Cheapo of the Western World, has rubbed off on me.)

These converters, so far, are a total pain in the yazoo!
My husband has swapped out his 93 year old mother’s three times all ready, and they still have to disable it each time she wants to view her favorite local station.

I got mine just to use on the Garage TV, being too lazy to pull a cable out there. The Garage TV is a Las Vegas area thing…if you don’t have at least a 26 incher in the Garage for those times when you’re doing some minor fabrication, woodworking or whatver, you ain’t squat in my neighborhood.

It’s like a Maserati poster back in the 80′s, but for contemporary rednecks like moi.

Anyway, the DTV works just Jim Dandy with a scrap of piano wire on the signal input jack. No ghosting or multipath reception.

Same here.

That’s why I didn’t even bother signing up for a coupon. I saw the 90-day limit as well as the fact that the coupon was good TOWARD the cost of the box but probably would not cover the whole cost (can anyone verify?) and at that time I was like, “Eff this. I have more important things to worry about right now. I’ll worry about this later.”

I work a LOT of hours. I don’t do a lot of shopping other than groceries because I just don’t have time for nonsense. Hey, that is just my reality.

I’ve got a free converter box for anyone in Tampa who needs one. We’ve got Verizon FIOS with a TIVO DVR now and love them both. Couldn’t live without the DVR. With the TIVO DVR you can put in a “wish list” of actors/actresses, titles, subjects etc and watch WHAT you want to watch WHEN you want to watch it. My husband can record any football game he may have ohterwise missed and I can record all the Turner Classic Movies I could ever want, and watch them when I want when there’s NOTHING on every evening worth watching. I sound like an ad, but it’s great.

Susan,

I may have misunderstood, but I think Congressman Stupak was saying that the reception of the new digital signals had not been thoroughly tested. The converters should work fine provided they have the signal to work with.

I rent free movies from the library, watch almost no TV at all.

bought directv dish and convertor boxes and still have to have a antenna for local stations even for local news well guess what the gov .say a lot local station nbc changed over and we can’t get anything and abc will be next and we won’t have a signal i have put out for 3 more antennas and 2 boxes and my money is gone and so are my stations . I THINK SOME ONE SHOULD HAVE TO SEND MY MONEY BACK. iT IS ODD DISH CAN’T PICK UP LOCAL STATIONS BUT CABEL CAN AND SO DOES THE PRICES

The thing is the d**n commercials are so loud, it is annoying. You almost need to tivo stuff to save your sanity. There is something for the FCC, if they want to be useful. Moderate commercial sound volume.