Before I say negative things about the cable TV company, which you or a family member might be employed by, I don't want you to feel like you should have to read this or agree with me.
That's Cognitive Therapy in action. Good stuff. I stumbled upon some of Aaron Beck's stuff in the library. It was next to a book that had the word "sex" in the title. One technique from I learned CT was to to avoid the imperatives "should" or "should not". These are classic thinking errors that trap an limit your behavior. The late Albert Ellis thought we would be better off if we banished "should" from our vocabularies and replaced it with "it would be better if...".
As in, it would be better if I started making my point soon.
My point is that we are in a global financial crisis! Ahhhhhhhh! Look outside your window right now! What do you see? Pretty much the same thing you always do. Only, it's not worth as much as it used to be. And, that's bad, for all of us. My previous literary work, "Bake Yo Ass a Chicken" addressed our serious need to cut costs by making your own meals.
If more of us than ever find ourselves in a state of financial turmoil, it would be better if we could all cut some costs here and there. Are we doing this as well as we can? No. How do I know? Because Time Warner Cable company is estimated to make a profit of 1.28 billion dollars in 2008, up from 1.12 billion in 2007. So, for americans, the global economic crisis apparently hasn't hit home hard enough to make us stop watching cable TV and spend our evenings selling our possessions on eBay.
I used to have cable TV back in the 90's. One year, I gave up TV for Lent and disconnected the cable. I've never been back. I have an aerial antenna on the roof of my house. It seems rather geriatric for a guy who is only 40 years of age. But, then again, I liked Old Spice Scented wipes. So, maybe I'm just ahead of my years.
I haven't missed cable TV that often. As a matter of fact, I'm very happy not to have it. I'm saving a lot of money by getting my TV through the electromagnetic waves traversing the air that for the moment, are still free of charge. I don't watch much TV, but what I watch, I am more pleased with.
A couple of years ago, a sales guy from Dish Network came by my house and caught me working in the yard. He knew I wasn't a customer with them, so he asked what cable package I had. Resisting some sort of funny joke like "I'll show you what cable package I have!", I just told him "none". He looked at me, puzzled as if I was plowing through life having some sort of basic need unfulfilled. He asked me "How do you get your TV?" as if it was some sort of heroin fix. I pointed at the aerial antenna. He seemed to have serious pity for me.
I hope this blog finds you in a state of financial bliss. But, if it doesn't, stopping cable service is one of those decisions that is starting to tip the risk/reward ratio in your favor. It costs a lot of money and now there are other alternatives. So, by no means am I saying you "should" cut off your cable. But, for what I view as some valid-ass reasons, it might very well be better if you did...
Cable TV is expensive
How expensive? I don't know! That's how expensive. I have searched the Time Warner Cable web site and find no specific info on pricing. So, I online chatted with a customer service rep and got no real answer except to call back during business hours.
But, I remember what standard cable TV service cost in the 90's. It wasn't cheap, on the order of $50 a month.
Dish Network is only $25 a month for 26 channels. Not much, eh?
But, what if you had to save for a child's college education and decided to funnel all the money you spent on Dish Network into that child's education fund instead?
Yeah, what if you procreated right now (please take a break from reading this if you actually are) and 19 years later that kid needed to go to college? $25 a month would be $300 a year. $300 a year compounded over 19 years at a modest 3% would be $7,745.79! To clarify for my European friends, that's 7,745.79 dollars!
Granted, the kid is going to community college. But, that's a lot of money for a few more channels.
A $50 a month package compounded over 19 years buys a half a year's tuition at Harvard.
DTV ain't bad
I have a digital TV receiver. It has good reception. I have 10 channels including a weather station and four PBS channels! I watched a documentary last night about penguins. Did you know they could slide on their bellies instead of walking? I wouldn't have learned that on ESPN where I'd be watching the Pittsburgh Penguins.
In my opinion, all of the good shows are on network TV. And with my DTV receiver, I have all those channels for the low monthly cost of NOTHIN'!.
Other Alternatives
If you're missing your favorite game, there's always www.channelsurfing.net where you can catch games that aren't televised, even on cable. If you're a non-sports person, you can watch a gazillion pre-recorded shows on Hulu.com.
Supporting Cable is anti-free market
I would like to believe we americans still believe in a free market society. My local cable company has no direct competition. That's what, in so many terms, we call a monopoly. Yes, Time Warner has indirect competition. Apparently, it's not direct enough to rival NOTHIN' per month.
Oops, I need to close soon. I forgot to write out my monthly check for NOTHIN' to the atmosphere, where I get my TV. So, let's just review...
In Summary
* You should never say "should"
* Denying yourself cable TV could fund community college
* Time Warner Cable will still do just fine without you. Making billions.
* There's other stuff out there to help you get your fix
* Viva free market!
Now, you should go enjoy the rest of your day.
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