Blues Rules

I probably should take this up with the Federal Communications Commission, but thought I'd try you first. Maybe some of my frustration can be addressed in the new world you're designing.

As you know, I've loved blues music from the very first note I heard. It irks me when people who obviously have not lived the blues try to play the blues. I usually change the station or walk out of the room. But I heard something in the car a few days ago that I'm hoping is not repeated on Earth 2.0. A young lady from a large geographic, but sparsely populated, state attempted to entertain me on a dedicated radio blues station. I forced myself to listen to the entire song so that my rage would make this a more compelling appeal.

I would very much appreciate if you crafted some firm rules on who can and cannot sing the blues in the next rev. For example, you cannot run for President of the United States unless you are at least 35 years old. Why not require future blues singers to have earned the right to sing the blues? The more clear-cut you are, the better for everyone. Let me suggest that a blues artist truthfully must be able to say:

• I have lived for at least 10 years at or below the poverty level,
• I have been passed up three or more consecutive times for jobs I was well qualified for, and
• I face racial, ethnic, religious, sexual or other major forms of oppression on a daily basis

Don't make the blues rules so lengthy that only a handful of people meet the criteria. But don't allow people who have lived a fairly pleasant, trouble-free life to strap on a guitar, tap the microphone, and rip into a sad tale of first-person woe. That's just plain wrong. Besides, we need people like that to enjoy the blues, imagining what it must be like to live at or below the poverty level, etc.