Sound And Fury Signifying Nothing

I piss and moan about a lot of things in this space, the Pentagon, ruinous military spending, ruinous wars, Wall Street bankers, the recession, our decadent culture, things like that. But, in truth, that’s all just window dressing. You know what really bothers me? Loud television commercials. Now, God be praised, a brave Congresswoman from Palo Alto, California is standing up to the madness.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Television viewers jarred by abrupt spikes in volume during commercial breaks may someday be able to give their mute buttons a rest.

“I not only dive for the mute button, but I end up having to close my windows so that the blast doesn’t affect by neighbors,” says Congresswoman Anna Eshoo. “I live on a cul-de-sac, and so the sound resonates.”

Irritated with loud commercials, the California Democrat found it was also a common complaint with the Federal Communications Commission. So she drafted a bill aimed at preventing TV ads from playing noticeably louder than the programs they sponsor.

Who says Congress isn’t looking out for us? Forget about health insurance, Iraq, Afghanistan, Guantanamo Bay, all that kid’s stuff. If this bill makes it through Congress, there will be peace and quiet in the cul-de-sacs of America once more (assuming your neighbors in the cul-de-sac haven’t been foreclosed on, in which case your cul-de-sac is already peaceful).

Will Rogers famously said that America has the best politicians money can buy. He was mistaken. We have the worst politicans money can buy. Then again, the dollar doesn’t buy as much anymore.