Come on, really?

What's the deal with our government paying $40 a pop in certificates for people to buy digital converter boxes for their television sets. Read below from a recent AP article:

"The government established a $1.5 billion coupon program to help millions of consumers buy the converter boxes before the nationwide transition to digital programming in February. Households are eligible for two $40 coupons, which are aimed primarily at up to 21 million owners of the older-model sets that rely on antennas to watch TV. If they don't get a converter box when the country's broadcasters complete the switchover, they will wind up staring at a blank screen. Cable and satellite TV subscribers do not need the boxes."

O.K. I don't get it. Is TV really that important that the government needs to step in and give people who haven't bought a new set in over 20 YEARS a $40 certificate so they don't have to upgrade? Can't there be some reasonable restriction on this - like only for the elderly and those with a note from their doctor? COME ON! I can think of SO MANY other ways to spend $1.5 BILLION of our money.

Read the whole story here.