HDTV and a Converter Box

I bought a converter box. It was $48 and my parents let their coupons expire, so it all came out of my pocket. I hooked the bitch up according to the manual. I went through the setup process and thought I was set for the bad ass TV viewing... Boy was I wrong. My antenna isn't good enough because I'm in the basement. I get no signal at all. The antenna I would need is going to be $30 more at least. Why is it that my cheap-o rabbit ear antennas don't work with digital TV just because I'm in the basement, when I get a crystal clear analog signal down here. Why does the government want me to spend all this fucking money just to watch TV? It's supposed to be FREE. For the $100 I'm going to spend on my converter box and antenna I could make my first payment on a $400 HDTV.

Is this their little ploy to get people to spend their money and help the economy? I don't mind putting money into the economy, as anyone who knows my shopping habits will know (I spend as much of my pay check as possible while saving a bit and paying bills. I enjoy shopping) but for me to be forced to spend over $100 just because they want me to have this "all-or-nothing much better signal" pisses me off. Really.

Should Dial-up be eliminated just because it's insanely inferior? I don't care that people actually pay for dial-up, it's utter shit, but people are still allowed to choose it because it's an option they can afford. I can't afford digital tv. Where's my choice for the shitty option?

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