So it's been almost two weeks since the election. And you know what I haven't missed? The incessant parade of election television commercials.

But you know who probably does miss them? The television channels.

I don't know if this year was an aberration, or if my two years overseas dulled my memory, but for the few weeks leading up to the election it seemed like four out of five television ads were for a campaign. And not just Obama or McCain, I'm talking senators, representatives, and ballot initiatives.

"Vote no on one."

"Vote yes on one."

"Casinos no."

"Casinos yes."

"Fed up with taxes?"

"Want more taxes?"

"Tom Allen's friends from away ..."

"Susan Collins, an independent voice in Washington ..."

That was my favorite one. Susan Collins is a Republican senator from Maine, but in all of her ads she stressed her "independence". Probably just to counter her competition, who dug up ever photo she ever took with George W. Bush.

The Democratic senatorial campaign for New Hampshire did the same thing against Senator Sununu. (For some reason a few of our channels weren't just content with Maine campaign ads, they also brought us New Hampshire ads, too.) Eight or ten black and white photos of Bush and Sununu waving at some rally, back in the good old days before wars and approval ratings sank that presidential ship.

Think about that, for a minute - all of those poor photo-researchers, out of a job until the next big election.

And the gruff voice-over actors, too. All on unemployment now.

Even, and this is small potatoes, the folks who print the cardboard signs for the sides of the roads. No outstanding orders.

It'd actually be staggering to know just how much money was pumped into the economy due to the election.

And now - no commercials. All we have is local car dealers looking seriously stressed. And that Marden's lady hawking her smoke-damaged wares.

So sad.