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Pain relief is no political ads

By LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Published November 9, 2006

Recently, I wrote, "Lord, deliver us from political advertising." Well, he did. He sent us Election Day.

Suddenly, it was as if a dentist had pulled an infected tooth and the throbbing pain was gone. Thank you, Lord.

But you know what? We wouldn't have that pain if we took care of our teeth, so to speak. So, how can we "take care of our teeth," or how can we avoid the almost unbearable pain of political TV ads?

I seriously doubt that these ads convince anyone to vote for the advertised candidate. If anything, the repetition of the same ad is like a tsunami washing over us and causing us to gasp for air as if we were drowning.

And negative, borderline slanderous ads that criticized opponents had the effect of a filthy joke told in mixed company. Bad taste.

Obviously, the reason politicians advertise these ways is simply because there is no other way. We must come up with meaningful alternatives.

As one who sold TV time to politicians in the 1970s, I can tell you that the TV stations not only get top dollar and payment in advance for these ads, but also are not subject to any regulations regarding number of commercials aired at any given time. (Blame the Federal Communications Commission and the National Association of Broadcasters.) There is no way the TV stations will even think about killing their golden goose.

The answer, I believe, rests with the politicians.

They must agree to debate over a select period of time before the election and share the cost of the airtime. Debates, not commercials. We're not buying groceries. We're buying people who should tell us clearly how they plan to govern if elected. Simple and naive as that.

Oh, and forget the lawn signs. They're as ridiculous as the plastic flamingo.

We must "take care of our teeth." I can't take that pain again.

Jack Bray is a retired broadcasting executive who lives in Dunedin.

[Last modified November 8, 2006, 23:44:21]