How About a ‘Presidential Idol’?

U.S. Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W. Va.) may seem over the hill at times, but his lament that the Senate has become a “factory that manufactures sound-bite votes that make great fodder for 30-second political ads, but which do very little to address the many, many challenges facing this country” is right on target (May 21). With grotesque amounts of cash burning holes in the pockets of both political parties, voters are sitting ducks for the devious, misleading, untruthful, mind-numbing TV ads that confuse rather than inform. Most 30-second political ads are based on omissions, exaggerations or plain untruths, and there is no law to prevent them.

When will the TV mega-networks, which continue to joyfully rake in the millions for these 30-second invectives, be made to fulfill their obligations to “the public interest” and offer free airtime so that candidates themselves are forced to debate and discuss the serious issues facing America?

Our founding fathers must be shuddering at what money has done to the republic they fought to give us.

June Maguire

Mission Viejo

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Idea for a new reality show: “Presidential Idol.” America tunes in weekly as the various contestants compete for votes on live TV. Each week one presidential candidate is voted off the show. The last contestant becomes president of the United States. This seems to be a sure way to get people to vote!

Michael Minami

Redlands