I've noticed the same thing about the music our children are listening to, and it's not limited to neopunk bands like Green Day. In my son's school there is a growing appreciation for 1970's rock in general, from The Ramones to more mainstream bands like Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, the Eagles, or Bruce Springsteen. You see it when Cadillac uses old Led Zeppelin tunes to sell cars and Monster starts running ads with the Electric Light Orchestra as the musical backdrop. Even bands once dismissed as bloated schlock like Styx and Journey have achieved a sort of coolness not attained even in their heyday in a time where Green Day stands nearly alone as a supergroup.

You pay for it. Or not. It's your choice. The cable industry has already launched an education campaign on the V-chip in anticipation of people like Sen. Stevens who want to impose their peculiar code of morality on them.

On the other hand, many consumers don't have a real choice. Over-the-air content sucks and the reception is bad, which is why most people have cable in the first place. In our area, we only get two of the Big Three networks; the other one is only available from a station 40 miles away. Regulating basic cable the way TV is regulated, therefore, might actually be a good idea.

Of course, stations on basic cable are already heavily bowlderized, sometimes to the point of being ridiculous. This would indicate that there really isn't a problem, right?

Then there is premium cable, like HBO. This is what all this is really about, isn't it? Uncut R-rated movies, Deadwood, and The Sopranos. Since you pay an extra fee over and above what you pay for basic service to get this content, what is the difference between premium, subscriber-sponsored cable TV, and other subscriber-sponsored media, such as Playboy Magazine. Nobody's forcing you to buy it. Nobody's forcing you to watch it, and with the V-chip, you the parent have full control over when and if your little munchkins get to watch it. So what's the problem, other than the fact that I get to watch TV that's entertaining (and commercial-free), and that bothers Ted Stevens?

Well boo-frickin' hoo.

Not that his prospective replacement as AG is any more beatable.

Anyway, Hillary! won the first time by balancing herself between the two New Yorks - the staunchly liberal City and the somewhat conservative Upstate. She seems to be a good fit for New York.

Elsewhere on Planet Earth, they do it at the pump. Wanna drive a gashog? No problemo, dude. You can buy all the gas you need for $5/gal., and the highway repair people thank you very much.

We could do this here as well, if the powers-that-be weren't so averse to asking the citizens to bear their share of the burden. I mean, cheap gas in ingrained in our culture. If I were a member of Congress suggesting that we raise the gas tax by two bucks a gallon to encourage conservation, I know what I'd hear:

1. Good Lord, another "tax and spend" Democrat (TM) from Central Casting!

2. What about all the poor people who drive '75 Grand Prix's? You're hurting them!

3. I live on top of Mount Misanthropy, and I really need my four-wheel-drive vehicle!

4. You want everybody to drive THIS CAR (holds up a picture some ridiculous electric (and experimental) box-on-wheels)! How is my neighbor supposed to pull his 22-foot yacht/Airstream/snowmobile trailer with that?

Most likely, after the next election, I'd be looking for a new job, too, unless I lived in San Francisco or someplace. This point is, we've become so conditioned to think we should never be expected to sacrifice a damn thing for anything no matter what. As a result, the country goes to Hell in a handbasket, and nobody cares as long as their own little quarter-acre of America isn't affected. Thanks a load, George.

TBN, for one. This is the main reason Pat Robertson and his ilk are against ala-carte, because people like me click through on my way to Spike TV to watch dubbed Japanese game shows. Like many people, Pat Robertson gives me the jibblies.

What might fly though, is a system where you pay by the minute, like a phone plan. Call it "universal Pay-Per-View." You get access to EVERYTHING, HBO, the Playboy channel, EVERYTHING included, and you vote with your subscriber dollars for quality TV. Nothing on? Turn the damn thing off and quit wasting money. People might get really interested in that interactive program guide you get with digital cable.

So what would be a reasonable rate per hour? I'd suggest the following:

Commercial-supported channels, plus PBS: $0.10/hr., $1.00/day max.

Commercial-free channels: $0.20/hr to $0.50/hr, depending on content. "Hey, you've seen that stupid Dodgeball movie ten times already? How about giving me a break?"

Think of the savings in bandwidth!