Who the #*!^ is Hal Linden?

He seems to think he's famous enough to do a recorded phone call where he just says "This is Hal Linden" and then goes on to warn that "seniors" -- thanks, pal! -- need to worry about George Bush's plan to "privatize social security." You know, the last call I got was from Al Gore and I was none too pleased with that. But Hal Linden! You've got to be kidding me! If Hal Linden wants to alert me about any political issues, he'd be presumptuous even to give me a personal call. But a recorded call? Man, I just hung up on Al Gore half an hour ago.

Okay, okay, don't email me. I Googled him. So he's Barney #*!^-ing Miller. Now I know what you think of me, Kerry campaign. It's really a collection of insults: I'm old, I watch crap TV, and I want my money. Actually, it's all somewhat true. But if I'm old, I'm old enough to remember when the Democratic Party appealed to our idealism and assumed we would vote for the good of others. (That's why I'm a registered Democrat.) And if I watch crap TV, it's not crap TV with Hal Linden. And reminding me that I care about my money doesn't point me in the direction of voting for Democrats.