The Hollywood writers strike and its repercussions bring about curious outcomes. When the writers go on strike, the first to feel the repercussions are : the talk shows.

Jon Stewart, David Letterman, Jay Leno and the others will simply put up repeats rather than show the public they are hollow shells. Mark Twain’s advice, “It is better to keep your mouth shut and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt,” seems to apply. Are today’s talk show hosts so pampered, prepped and dependent on being fed funny lines that they cannot think for themselves?

Were Jack Parr, David Frost or Johnny Carson so heavily dependent on others to sound interesting, relevant or funny? Would they, too, have gone to repeats?

Over half of teenagers today think Jon Stewart’s “The Daily Show” is “news.” How many writers work to create politically correct or incorrect statements, jokes, accusations and pithy banter, just so Jon Stewart can help reshape what America calls news?

Take it a step further. Does Stewart realize he is hurting the chances of a Democratic presidential victory next November? How will the young people of American get “educated and informed” about the presidential race without Stewart’s highly biased but topical cutdowns of President Bush and Republican candidates?

Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson’s image has been carefully crafted over the years by the writers of “Law and Order.” People’s opinion of him today is, in large part, due to his ability to read lines in a script, not his real, albeit short, congressional voting record. Are the writers for those seeking the presidency going to go on strike? Maybe that would be the best thing to happen. You would actually hear what the candidates think rather than spin predicated on current polls.

Back to reality. The Hollywood writers deserve to have their talents appreciated and share in the success of those who get the public credit for their work. It is sad that image has come to mean so much and substance so little.