I’ll admit, at times my columns can be a little dry. When it comes to expounding on government it can be difficult to make the subject matter palatable to the average person. Government affects every one of us, but, boy, can it ever be boring. People can only hear so much about how government works, where it is broken and how it can be fixed.
As dry as it may be, analysis of government has a place in print. Someone can hold that newspaper in hand, read the article in its entirety, skim through it in search of highlights or just plain skip over it if he’s bored (and maybe come back to it at a later time). Most folk look at the newspaper as an educational tool and we know how people approach that ... few people have a stomach for education.
But, it seems that everyone has a stomach for television (just look at the couch potato physiques). That’s because TV, unlike newspaper, is as much entertainment as it is education. The stimulation to eyes, ears and mind drag us into the medium and keeps us there: According to Nielsen Media, the average person watches 4 hours and 35 minutes of TV per day, while only 50 percent of people over 25 read one newspaper in a week’s time.
That being said, television, above all other mediums, can be the perfect place in which to get people involved in civics. The viewers (voters) are there, you just have to bring them in. CNN, unlike watching-the-paint-dry CSPAN, does a fair job of this, bombarding us with multiple hosts, informative snippets and a variety of styles that makes the layperson find interest in the way our country is run.
And, that’s what Tom Christy did, up until two weeks ago when his popular show “Legislative Journal” was shelved after a decade of good TV. Most of the arguments based on this issue (and there have been many!) have focused on the silencing of the freedom of speech. LCTV says it acted in good judgment, citing censorship laws that it could follow. Those on the other side claim bad judgment, saying the organization had no right to do so and that the censorship was political. I’m not here to address that. Most everyone in the county has. Let’s instead talk about the importance of Christy as an educator.
An educator, you ask? Yes.
Think about some of CNN’s most popular hosts, like Glenn Beck and Lou Dobbs. They’re engaging because they know how to deliver a message and, more importantly, they wear their hearts on their sleeves. Better yet, think back to your childhood and your favorite teachers. They succeeded because they filled your mind with life lessons while making a lively classroom experience that had your brain begging for more. Boredom was not an option to them.
Tom is — or should I say, “was?” — like those people. Tom is Tom. He’s unique, maybe a little flamboyant and over the top, and that, along with their sense of civic duty, is what brought the viewers to LCTV to hear about what their legislator is and is not doing for them. Regular Average Joes and Janes, the salts of the earth, tuned in to the show because Tom’s entertaining style made government talk user-friendly. And, in the realm of politics, there is no more important “user” than the common citizen.
These people were anywhere and everywhere. I’ve always been amazed at who tells me they watch Tom’s show, people who otherwise care less about government and normally choose American Idol, sports and cop shows over news and commentary. They dig what Tom did and, because of that, learned how the world around them works.
The very same sort of people came out of the woodwork every time Tom and I would be out and about. Men and women that he didn’t know would approach him, showering him with handshakes and praise. These weren’t people looking to rub elbows with a local celebrity. How do I know? In every one of these encounters the fans would say two important and telling words, “thank you.”
They thanked Tom for giving them three hours of his time every week when he brought their elected officials into their homes and delivered the word of government in a way that they could understand.
Because of this educational and civic importance, LCTV should reconsider their stand and bring back Western New York’s most popular — and meaningful — talk show host. He is an asset to the community, just like LCTV is, and they, like every one of us, would be better off if both parties got back together again.
Bob Confer is a Gasport resident and vice president of Confer Plastics Inc. in North Tonawanda. E-mail him at bobconfer@juno.com.
Bob Confer
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Discussion
March 25, 2008
CONFER: The importance of Tom Christy
- Bob Confer
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CONFER: Climate security and economic run
We live in an era of much unrest in which people fear for their security, be it socially (terror threats), economically (recession), or environmentally (global warming). Feeding off this, our elected officials have been quite successful in using fear-mongering to introduce endless amounts of legislation that do much more harm than good.
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CONFER: Downstate interests cause gas pains
Last week the New York Senate voted for a holiday on the state’s gas tax, calling for suspension of the government markup during the summer months (Memorial Day through Labor Day). Sure, it’s most definitely an election year tactic by the Republican Senate, a sort of sales gimmick for incumbency, but nonetheless it is still a welcomed and much-needed gesture.
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CONFER: Catholics and the almighty dollar
When I tell people I live in Gasport many of them respond with a resounding, “That’s God’s Country!”
That, it is. It’s a beautiful area and a great place to live. But, come June, it will be a little less godly. St. Mary’s Church, the sole Roman Catholic in our hamlet, is one of almost 90 Catholic churches that will be — or have been — closed or merged by the Buffalo Diocese. -
CONFER: Young blood needed in community
Last week’s column was probably the most popular one I’ve written. My inbox was flooded with e-mails from all across the United States, everyone to a person agreeing with my analysis of how our state’s political climate makes it darn near impossible to live and work in the Empire State, in the end forcing our dear family and friends to greener pastures far away.
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CONFER: Why your loved ones have left NY
The chances are very good that you know someone who has left New York. According to the US Census Bureau, from July 2006 to July 2007 the Buffalo-Niagara region lost 5,166 people and since 2000 the Rochester area has lost over 7,300 of its residents.
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CONFER: Values do matter in public service
Public officials and sex. They seem to go hand in hand. It’s probably because absolute power not only corrupts absolutely, it perverts absolutely, too. Throughout history those in power have abused it to satisfy their most carnal urges, either gaining praise for their actions (JFK and Marilyn) or having their reigns rocked by controversy (Bill Clinton and Monica).
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CONFER: The importance of Tom Christy
I’ll admit, at times my columns can be a little dry. When it comes to expounding on government it can be difficult to make the subject matter palatable to the average person. Government affects every one of us, but, boy, can it ever be boring. People can only hear so much about how government works, where it is broken and how it can be fixed.
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CONFER: The new governor's black eye
When Eliot Spitzer was elected to office in 2006 by a record-setting 69 percent of the vote, his massive victory was declared a mandate of the people. The voters wanted serious change, someone who would come into Albany and clean-up all the dirt. Here it is, not even a year and a half later, and the man who fed that incredible optimism has proven to be no better than the rest and, actually, dirtier than most. Spitzer has left office with a reign that will be recognized as the greatest political letdown in the history of the state.
- CONFER: No new taxes — just bigger ones Last week in the state capital the legislature and Governor Spitzer were arguing over what the budget deficit would be for fiscal year 2008-2009. This wasn’t quibbling over pennies; their differences were in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Spitzer believes the deficit will be $4.8 billion.
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CONFER: The candidates and American jobs
“It’s the economy, stupid.”
That phrase, made famous by James Carville for Bill Clinton’s presidential campaign 16 years ago, still rings true to this day. It always has and always will. - More Bob Confer Headlines
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