Even as America's warring factions take sides while our lawmakers in Washington debate the contentious issues of the day, there's one bill before Congress that couch potatoes can apparently all get behind: a proposal to tone down those noisy TV commercials.
According to the AP, a House vote is expected today on a bill that would prevent ads from broadcasting at a notably louder volume than the program with which they air. That's right: No longer would your eardrums bleed when that ShamWow guy comes on and starts screaming at you at a volume louder than the explosion that happened during your favorite crime procedural before the break.
Clearly, this issue is of great national concern to the American people. "In my 17 years in the House of Representatives, I've never carried a bill which has been received with so much enthusiasm," said Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., sponsor of the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act, otherwise known as the CALM Act. Leave it to Congress to come up with an acronym for everything, and to the American people for knowing what issues of the day are really important.
Health care? Pfft. We just don't want Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) blaring the "Viva Viagra" song at us, or Verizon (NYSE:VZ) constantly reminding us about AT&T's (NYSE:T) 3G deficiencies.
What's your opinion, Fools? Is this a bill of crucial national importance? Or are you content just to flip past the ads with your TiVo (NASDAQ:TIVO) device or -- gasp! -- hit the mute button? Sound off in the comments box below.
