Bloggers have taken over The Line (KNME, Fridays, 7pm). Which should remind us all that talking and writing are not the same skills, though if anyone obscures the difference, it’s bloggers.

The ousted/retired creator of The Line, Steve Lawrence, disdained bloggers. New host, Gene Grant, is one.

Last Friday, every panelist but, um, uh, Professor Margret Montoya, was a local blogger. Scot Key, who teaches the 3 S’s in Albuquerque, joined Montoya’s side, opposed by Whitney Cheshire and Mario Burgos.

Burgos brags that Cheshire said, “Geez, you almost make me look like a Democrat.” That’s because she knew saying, “You make me seem almost reasonable,” wasn’t a big enough insult.

On the other hand, it’s harder to get furious with Mario Burgos looking at his cherubic face than reading his text.

At one point, Mario admitted sounding like a broken record in response to a question on public transportation downtown: if it were feasible, somebody would be providing public transportation already. Let the infinitely wise market decide for us! Consider the hilarious implication that everything that is profitable already has a supplier (bad news for future entrepreneurs and start-ups). Or does Mario mean we just need to be patient? Do nothing until someone sees a way to get rich doing it. Garbage would pile up in the street in the meantime.

Thank the creator that market-worship wasn’t the attitude of the Founders. Or does Mario believe corporations would have written the Constitution given enough time (after all, they’re re-writing it as fast as their pawns can — there’s a mutually profitable venture). But maybe Mario has a point: corporate devotion is politically profitable. Suggesting that all of us pay our fair share for the good of the community is much less profitable. mjh