Let Them Eat Antenna

The government is spending an inordinate amount of money on (1) advertising and (2) subsidies for set top converters for folks who still have antennaed tvs when the conversion to HD broadcasts occurs next year. How much? Try $1.5 billion. By my count, there are about thirty-three people who still don't have cable and receive TV signals over the airwaves. So, the government is basically spending about $47 million for each of these Luddites to be dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st Century. By contrast, school districts spend, on average, about $8701 per pupil. Even if you think I am exaggerating about the number of people who still get their tv via the airwaves, query whether the per viewer spending for the HD conversion is more or less than the per pupil education spending in this country.