There are least four things that will never happen in my lifetime because they would simply be too good to be true. These things are: cable TV subscriptions sold on an a-la-carte basis, a federal sales tax replacing the federal income tax, the election of a Libertarian president, and a major league sports franchise coming to Virginia. Congress and the FCC have begun to talk about the idea of forcing cable (and satellite) companies to offer channel subscriptions to the public on an a-la-carte basis. But, mark my word, it'll never happen. Fearing that it might actually happen, cable and satellite companies will soon begin to offer "family" tiers of channels which do not contain a lot of harsh language, violence, near/implied/partial nudity, or sexual situations. This, of course, will probably appease the "family" advocate groups, at least to the extent that they will stop pushing so hard for a-la-carte. Shortly after that, the whole concept of a-la-carte will fizzle out. Too bad for me. I only subscribe to basic cable for the sports and news channels. I don't have much use for boob tube anymore, so I rarely watch any of the other channels I'm forced to pay for. I'd love to be able to put the kibosh on channels like AMC, Bravo, The Disney Channel, E!, Comedy Central, F/X, MTV, Lifetime, VH-1, USA Network, and many of the rest. However, I'll be stuck with them as long as I feel the need for ESPN and CNN. President Bush and many in Congress have talked about the idea of replacing the Federal Income Tax with a national sales tax. That would take all the paperwork burden off taxpayers, but it won't happen. There are too many powerful people who benefit from keeping the current system. They will do whatever they have to do to punch holes in the concept of a national sales tax. They will say that it isn't fair to the poor (regressive), it would cause a budget disaster, and it would be a nightmare to implement, none of which are true. Unfortunately, their strategy will work and chance to get of the Federal Income Tax will be foiled again. No one from the Libertarian Party (or any other third party) will be elected President in my lifetime. The Democratic and Republican parties have to much control over the electoral process to ever let that happen. Voters always say they want change, and many of them agree with the libertarian point of view, but they never opt for very much change at any given time. In addition, since most don't believe a third party candidate could win, they won't vote for one, thus making it a self-fulfilling prophecy. Is voting like a day at the race track? Is politics only about picking a winner? Obviously, I don't think a third party candidate could win either, but that's never stopped me from voting Libertarian anyway. Too bad there are not enough people who have the moral integrity to follow my example! In the past, various groups have tried and failed to bring major league sports franchises to the state of Virginia. They will continue to fail. This is true for several reasons. First, we have too many NIMBYs in Virginia (especially in the northern part of the state) who do not want a sports stadium or arena anywhere near them. Second, too many people in Virgina are content just to be "near" major league sports franchises like those in DC, Maryland, and North Carolina. They see no need to have any of our own. Third, Virginians are willing to spend tax dollars on anything and everything except a little to defray the costs of a new sports stadium or arena. Fourth, while Virginia is the 12th most populous state in the Union, it has no metro areas of its own that rank in the USA's top 30. Pro sports leagues use this along with the fact that Virginians can be "served" by the teams in DC, Maryland, and North Carolina as a reason to always pass over Virginia when it comes time for expansion or relocation. |
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