The Stupid Party, Redux: Congress Moving to Outlaw Skipping Past Advertisements on DVD's

Or rather, they're going to make it illegal for DVD players to allow a home consumer to skip past advertisements.

This article doesn't say which party is behind this -- and likely it's both, given how much the Democrats rely on Hollywood -- but it is absolutely incomprehensible to me that Republicans are behaving so corruptly.

Oh, I'm not surprised that a politician behaves corruptly, liberal or conservative. Don't get me wrong. I expect a little -- well, a lot of -- corruption in politics.

I'm surprised at the shamelessness and stupidity of it.

They will catch hell for this. Not that it's such a major deal, but because it's 1) a corrupt deal made with the politically powerful for no very good reason and 2) intrusive nanny-statism and 3) pissing off consumers.

They will be forced to drop the provision. But not before a great deal of embarassment and political damage.

Can't they see more than three feet down the road? Do they think they've now got the Congress just about locked up for the next 60 years, automatically, like the Democrats did from the thirties to nineties?

What the hell are Republicans doing 1) empoweing Congression staffers to view IRS returns, at the behest of the IRS and 2) disempowering the public from skipping annoying commercials, at the behest of Hollywood? Is that what they're thinking they were elected to do?

Both cases are examples of that French saying: It's worse than a crime. It's a mistake.

posted by Ace at 09:23 PM

| Access Comments