Local Weather: Too Local for Me

What's the deal with the local weather shows?

Turn to any of them, and what you get is local, indeed. Waaaayyyy local.

You'll be lucky to see an Upper Midwest shot, or even a State-wide shot.

Not that long ago, the local weather folks plotted out United States maps with "L" and "H" systems, upper-wind graphics, and stuff like that, by which you could see such arcana as temperatures and likely (or occurring) precipitation in the rest of the country--you know, OUR country: the USA.

Then you could actually plan intelligently for air travel--or discuss the weather conditions with friends or relatives who live outside the 4-county Milwaukee area.

Now, they tell you the temperature in Waukesha, as distinguished from the temperature in Brookfield, or Cudahy, or Whitefish Bay.

Huh?

I think it's a plot to dumb down Americans.

And it works!! Remember that beauty queen who could not place South Carolina on a US map (or whatever...)--it's because the Weather Guys no longer put full-size US maps in the forecasts.

Dear Weather Guys: we all have friends in other States. We all travel to other States.

WE WANT TO KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON IN OTHER STATES!!! It's still our country!!

And don't tell me to tune in the Weather Channel, which now specializes in GoreBaloney and reruns of hurricanes from 1976--another facet of the Dumb-Down Plot.