I've been converted

I've been skeptical ever since the federal government announced the switch from analog television signals to digital. I've wondered how it will improve my life, aside from a clearer television picture for programs that I don't care for anyway. I vowed not to spend a dime on the conversion.
After ordering my $40 coupon, I finally found a store selling the converters for $40 (the same place I bought the Pee Chee folder from the previous post). So my cost: nothing. Which is exactly the maximum amount of money and effort I plan to put into "the switch".
I hooked up the box and a few minutes later saw some broadcast channels I couldn't receive with my rabbit ears. (Yawn.) I tried to set the box so I could scan the channels (and skip the religious channel) but that was very difficult to do as the instructions seemed to be in every language but English. No way to hook up my VCR without buying additional cables and splitters, but that's not something I care to address: my effort meter had run out. I'll get a dose of religion whenever I graze.
I know the conversion is supposed to be good for me and make the US more like other industrialized nations which have had digital broadcasting for years. The feds sell the old analog spectrum to generate money. I am not sure how the money will be used, but it will probably be wasted. Supposedly, the old analog channels will be used by telecommunications companies and public agencies, so maybe improved communications for public agencies is the only benefit. The feds spent a lot of taxpayer money to subsidize the switch (including to pay for my converter box), so that's a waste. There may be some jobs created in the conversion, but my box (and probably most of them) was made in China.
If it wasn't for a generous friend (BG) giving me her old set, I probably wouldn't own a TV at all.
I'll try to enjoy the improved (image) quality of the programming, but it sure seems like a big waste to me.