Cable TV

I'm a Real American! Yesterday I got hooked up with cable TV again. Well, perhaps I am not a "real" Real American, as I only have Basic Cable, and I spent this morning listening to C-Span. But I'm getting close.

On Washington Journal, it was glaringly apparent that the American Public is not at all interested in bailing out Wall Street on this whole financial disaster that the money makers have going. And after that, Members of the House cried foul, too, and demanded that Main Street not bail out Wall Street.

First, would people please quit using that cliche? I, for one, do not live on Main Street. In fact, think of it: most regular Americans don't live on Main Street. Main Street is a place of business, and while I am not naive enough to not get it that small businesses are left out of the equation here as far as getting a handout, the term "Main Street" is now sickeningly old and, well, simply cliche.

Next, and this may be a moot point by now, since the topic came to mind yesterday afternoon, and since then all manner of putting feet down seems to have broke loose, when a person needs food stamps, that person is limited in how much he or she and the attendant family is allowed. And there is a limit on how long that assistance will be provided. When a person loses his or her job and draws unemployment compensation, there is a limit on how much is allowed, in both time and financial terms. So, how does it figure that when these big financial companies are on the verge of being offered the chance at billions of taxpayer dollars in assistance, it is stressed that the chief executives must not be told they will have limits placed on their own compensation because that may cause these people to choose not to "participate?" If you can "choose" to participate or not, then do you really need the help? And why don't you just walk away if you don't like the help the people are offering?

Something a caller brought up during the open phone session on Washington Journal this morning that I think is an excellent point: Why do cable companies put C-Span and C-Span 2 in their bundles of pay cable networks? Why can the American people not watch their government in action for free? Granted, most would not. Plenty of my friends rolled their eyes when I told them I was getting cable again for the winter so I could C-Span every morning before work. But should that option not be available? The caller suggested we all call or write our cable companies.

Finally, the FFM and I went to the Denver Zoo on Sunday. Some of the animals do not have enough room there, like the bears. And the gorillas should be allowed more time outside than they apparently are permitted. However, there are some great birds there, and I became enamoured particularly of the cinereous vulture, which I think deserves a photo opp.