Fifty x Incompetence = Competence

It’s time to pick up the national switch to digital television once again since Congress is determined to somehow fix the problem by expanding the flaws of the transition plan.

Key senators have reached a compromise on a bill that would delay the nation’s switch to all-digital television from next month until June 12. A vote on the legislation is expected early next week.

Sen. John D. Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), chairman of the Commerce Committee, has been working with ranking member Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Tex.), to draft legislation that also would give consumers more access to coupons for the converter boxes needed to continue receiving broadcasts.

Congress set the deadline years ago, yet that wasn’t enough. Four more months will fix it, even though a trip into any electronics store will reveal more than enough converters. Obviously that isn’t the problem. The supply is there. But the price isn’t right, hence more “free” coupons. Why should anyone doubt this will be solved by June 12th?

That’s not my point, though. This is:

“The shameful truth is that we are not poised to do this transition right,” Rockefeller said in a statement. “We are only weeks away from doing it dreadfully wrong — and leaving consumers with the consequences.”

The “shameful truth” is that Congress can’t manage a transition to digital television that will cost the government (i.e. us) less than $2 billion. The outcome will be “dreadfully wrong”. This is standard operating procedure. But don’t anyone worry about the ongoing bailouts of banks and consumers. There will be no shameful truth in how Congress spends $1 trillion. Borrowing always solves a spending problem. Consumers will get only benefits there, we’re told.

It takes an active commitment to ignorance to trust Congress and the President. I can think of no other explanation.