Congress Passes HD Care, HD Programming for All
Congress passed a sweeping HD Channel Reform bill over the weekend that will ensure all Americans are covered by cable or satellite high definition (HD) television programming. The new bill will require all US residents to maintain adequate HD programming in their homes or face significant fines. Those who can’t afford adequate coverage will be placed in the government public option plan that provides 60 channels of HD television programming at no cost to the viewer. The plan will be subsidized by wealthy taxpayers, and employers will be forced to provide access to adequate HD programming for their employees or face severe penalties. Only one Republican voted for the bill, and he was in a rural Louisiana district with very limited access to HD programming currently. The plan is estimated to cost $1.3 trillion over ten years and then increase at a rate of 25% per year after that point. Persons without HD televisions will receive a government voucher to purchase HD televisions from every retail store in the country. Except Walmart, who will be required to give free HD televisions to those who don’t have them, but they will not be reimbursed by the government program.
“HD programming is a basic human right,” said Speaker Nancy Pelosi. “All Americans should have the right to quality HD programming. We’re one of the richest nations in the world, yet we have some of the most expensive and poor quality HD programming in the world. This bill will level the playing field and ensure that all Americans, no matter how poor, will have access to high quality HD programming. Greedy cable and satellite companies have been profiting from the suffering of needy Americans, and that stops today.”
Republicans warned that the new program would result in poor HD programming and eventually mean rationing. “We already have the best HD programming in the world,” said Republican Senator John Thune. “Soon we’ll all be waiting in line for decent HD channels in our area. People stuck in Canada’s public HD system already come here on ‘HD Weekends’ to stay in hotels in the United States in order to access the HD channels they would have to wait months to see in Canada. Chicago Bears football fans living just across the border travel into the United States every Sunday to see their team play in HD in American bars and restaurants. Otherwise, they’d have to wait three months for the game to be replayed in their country in HD. By that time it’s too late. The game is over.”


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