Am I the only one getting hot under the collar with daily usage of the prefix ‘pre’?

How many time have I heard our learned journalists among others on the BBC, ITV and elsewhere using such phrases as ‘pre-released figures’, ‘pre-relax our clients’, ‘pre-order your tickets now’, ‘the idea was pre-planned’, ‘we pre-screen all applicants’ and I could go on and on with more of these superfluous sentences.

The prefix pre has become an overused and mis-used ‘word’. ‘Pre’ means before, beforehand or previous to. So how should I interpret ‘pre-released figures, pre-relax my client, pre-order a ticket, pre-plan my idea’ and how do I ‘pre-screen all applicants’? Oh, I know, the figures were released before they were released, I shall relax my client before relaxing them, I can reserve a ticket, the idea was planned before it was planned and all my future applicants will definitely be screened before screening.

Please let no-one think of the brilliant ‘I could pre-murder a ham sandwich’!

Come on people, get your act together and get back to English basics.