No Telly in the House? Expect an Official Warning

New York Times ^ | December 28, 2004 | SARAH LYALL

[MississippiMasterpiece]

My TV stays off except for five programs...Deadwood, The Amazing Race, Desperate Housewives, Lost and CSI (Vegas, Miami and NY)

[Tax-chick]

Every day, more than 1,000 people - 380,000 in 2003 - are caught watching television without a license.

By the same government that doesn't have time even to investigate violent crimes. Why doesn't the public rise up and overthrow the government (with cooking pots, I guess, since everything else has been taken away ...)?

[shibumi]

I don't understand. If he doesn't have a television set, where does his exploding penguin stand? And how does the announcer warn him when it's about to happen?

[Publius6961]

What?!?
No NCIS?

[kahoutek]

Am I naive or what?

Halfway through this read I honestly thought it was a humor post.

But then, in the town I live in, tradesmen pay an annual tax on their tools.......(no not that).

[Drango]

Here in the US if you don't support PBS by not paying you taxes, they come to your door with a gun on their hip and throw you in jail.

[Publius6961]

You better not get caught with one of those diabolical TV tuner cards on your PC either!

[MississippiMasterpiece]

Crikey...I totally spaced on NCIS...Yes, I do watch it, and here's why....Sasha Alexander and Pauley Perrette.

[viaveritasvita]

>>>...with cooking pots, I guess, since everything else has been taken away ....<<<


ROFLOL!

I'm more concerned about eventually being charged a fine for NOT owning a TV!!!

<><

[massgopguy]

It stands on his cat. He just has to hope that the Cat Detector Van doesn't catch him.

[Professional Engineer]

I keep telling my wife, I'm not gonna fix or replace them when they fail.

[Boxsford]

NY Times articles need to excerpted for copyright purposes. Though I have to admit I enjoyed reading the whole article--as I don't have a password to the Times.

[Noachian]

License fees date from the 1920's, when the British Broadcasting Corporation charged its first customers 50 pence a year for the privilege of owning a radio. For decades, the BBC was a monopoly and the fee - expanded to include television in 1946 - was easy to justify.

When a government charges its citizens a "fee" that's just another term for a "tax". Since the BBC is a government owned corporation the British people are being "taxed" twice: through their taxes and by this TV "fee".

This is similiar to Americans who pay a "fee" to drive their cars, and once it becomes an ingrained part of social life it can only be done away with by the people, which rarely happens.

The best thing this guy can do is to support the outlawed independent TV stations which runs counter to BBC programming.

[Petronski]

Normally, I only watch two things: Steeler Football and The History Channel.

[MississippiMasterpiece]

Nope...we can post NY Times articles in their entirety.

[Admin Moderator]

NY Times articles need to excerpted for copyright purposes.

So far, they haven't complained about full-length posts.

Reference.

[Boxsford]

really? Why in the heck is everyone excepting them around here?

[Boxsford]

Thanks.

[Tax-chick]

If you don't watch the Big Brother program, how will you know what to think?

[Tax-chick]

Some people just like to excerpt. Or would rather excerpt, to be safe, than track down the detailed rules.