On Feb 17, the US government has mandated a shift from analog television broadcasts to digital. Digital is better in its clarity and sound as well as the amount of programming it will offer. Most Americans will be unaware and/or unaffected by the change. If you have cable, satellite or phone-company TV you will continue to receive broadcasts but those with rabbit ears or a roof-top antenna need a converter box.

Obama’s talking about a moratorium on the switchover because, according to one of his top aides the “most vulnerable Americans” may not have the money or the information to make this change. This means they could very well end up with a blank screen while the rest of us bask in the hedonistic pleasure of a TV show, when we turn our sets on Feb. 17.

Now far be it from me to have little compassion for the downtrodden. And it is a drag that shut-ins and poor people may suddenly lose a simple pleasure like Roseanne re-runs. But I must object to the idea that losing access to television is somehow equal to lack of quality health care and insurance or, for that matter … food. Why is it that when someone bandies around the phrase “the most vulnerable among us” it is often times not so much as a call for human charity, which is very Christian, but instead is supposed to manipulate us by our unique human trait, compassion?

Only a true died-in-the-wool liberal would consider TV a necessity. Where does it stop exactly anyway? Is cable a necessity? How about satellite TV? Why not make the case that it is unfair to deny anyone anything that someone else has? When I was growing up I actually spent a lot of time at the library. There are things there called books. They are free to be read and even taken home to use on the honor system.

But no, socialism couldn’t get here fast enough, huh Mr. Obama? I warned you guys of this from the get go. Socialism is covetousness. Coveting is a sin. Socialism is institutionalized sin under the guise of compassion. Listen, whoever has more than others is duty bound by God to use it wisely and for others, with the humble gratefulness that it can be taken away. To whom much has been given, much will be expected. But that’s between God and the individual. What Jesus never demanded was compassion being governmentally mandated.

Christians started the concept of hospitals, soup kitchens and homeless shelters. It comes from our renewed spirit, which teaches us to be community to the “least of these.” [Matt. 25:40] Perhaps we can one day have a liberal activist group who actually cares about the most vulnerable. Not in the whatever-you-desire–is-yours-and-all-I-charge–is-your-vote kind of way that they have perfected, but in the while-we-assist-your-immediate-need-we-are-even-more-concerned-about-your-perspective-of-life kind of way.

Why not work toward renewing the mind to work towards a fresh life based, on new decisions and personal responsibility, as well as the passion to achieve more than you have settled for. Believe it or not, that doesn’t include television. It is found in God’s vision for you. Trust me if every American spent 30 days TV-free, the country would be in way better shape simply because people would be forced to think for themselves. But liberals would never have it, especially liberal Hollywood. How would they be able to get out the message of how important they are without TV to broadcast their self-indulgent award shows? There’s your answer. Take all the money wasted on actors’ award shows and buy converter boxes for the “most vulnerable.” Now they’d be practicing what they preach.