Television by idiots for idiots

Today, I just happened to catch MSNBC's program, "Connected Coast to Coast." Hosts Monica Crowley and Ron Reagan bemoaned the fact that Congress is tied up dealing with trivial matters like judicial appointments and not spending time on important things like the price of gasoline. Reagan made the statement that "most Americans don't care about these things (the list included the judicial nominations)."

I think Reagan is probably right, which is why this country is falling apart at the seams. But he and Crowley did nothing to suggest that Americans might pay more attention, nor did they do anything to educate the public about what is at stake. Quite the contrary. They spent the rest of the broadcast conducting interviews that confirmed that Congress is wasting its time with these "distractions."

Here is a direct (and of course, grammatically incorrect) quote from the show's producer, Tony Maciulis:

I have to be honest with you. Aside from what I do for a living and the inherent need to be well read on current events, I couldn't give a flying fig about either the Bolton nomination, the filibustering, or whether or not Tom Delay golfed in Scotland on a lobbyist's dime.

So much for due process, equal protection, right to privacy, free speech, voting rights, illegal searchs, and the right to seek legal recourse. Time to fill up the SUV.