I guess you could say that today is the day that the herd gets thinned. It is the Primary Election Day. Our choice of Governor will be cut down to just two. The choice for Congressman Kenny Hulshof's replacement will be knocked down to two. The local races will be thinned as well.
The best part about this is in two main areas. First, the ads will stop after today. Second, the focus will be narrowed a bit.
The downside is the new round of ads will start soon.
Some of you think that I would like all of the political ads. And in a way, I do. But what you need to realize is that my employer has to give deep deep discounts to the political advertisers. Not to earn that business, because it is LEGALLY MANDATED!!
Sixty days before a General Election (45 days for a Primary), political ads have to be sold for the lowest rate that we have sold ANY airtime to other clients.
While I do not get paid DIRECTLY based on what is sold, the higher the revenues are, the better chance I have to get a raise.
In theory at least.
Probably only in theory.
If our ads sell at the lowest rate, because the politicians made the rules to help themselves, we make less money. And my theory has a harder time getting tested.
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Last night, I was explaining the Barack Obama energy rebate plan to my son Alex.
For those who do not know Obama's plan, I understand your problem. Like everything else the naive Senator from Illinois comes up with, it is short on details. But this is what is clear.
He wants to give families $1000 check this fall to buy your vote....I mean, to help you with your increased energy costs.
Alex is almost 13 years old and he is a pretty smart kid. He understands that the government gets money by taxing citizens. So he knew that Obama needed to find a way to pay for it. (Something that has escaped BOTH Democrat and Republican run Congress' in the past....but he gets it.)
So when I told Alex that Barack Obama was going to tax the energy companies to pay for it, he got a puzzled look on his face. Then I explained that companies would have to pay for the taxes by raising their prices. For gasoline and diesel fuel, estimates are at a minimum of eight cents a gallon. No one has figured how that would translate to grocery prices.
Alex started laughing when I told him this.
Yes, he wants to give us money, so that we can give it back to the energy companies, so that the energy companies can give it back to the government that gave us the money in the first place.
Now, while true that the more that money changes hands, the better it is for the economy. But when it simply moves in a circle, it does nothing but cost those who are handling that money along the way have an increase in their costs.
A seventh grader gets it. This is an idiotic idea.
Don't get me wrong, you send me a check and I will cash it. I did it with the last one. But, I will tell you how stupid this concept is.
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The Royals keep on winning. Changing Sox from White to Red had no impact last night. 4-3 win for the Blue. 53-60 at this point of the season is not exactly good, but considering that horrible 12 game skid back in May, they could be doing worse. So, seven games below .500 in the first week of August is something that I can accept. Especially because the trend it very positive.
They got two more with the Sox of the Red variety before they host Minnesota to close out this homestand. Road trips to face the Pale Hose in Chicago then a final trip to Yankee Stadium. Or as I like to call it, baseball's version of the Mos Eisley Spaceport. (You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villany.....)
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Have a great Tuesday.
