This came to light largely because of investigative reporting done by none other then NPR. If those letters sound awfully familiar, it is probably because National Public Radio has been getting hammered by the Right in the wake of the Juan William's firing. Of course, the Right's hatred of NPR goes back much further then two weeks. There have been calls to cut off the funding for public radio and television for decades now. To understand why that is the case, you need look no further then this report.
Rachel Maddow is as good at what she does as anyone in the business. Here she is getting right to the heart of the matter...
"Rachel Maddow is as good at what she does as anyone in the business"???
ReplyDeleteWhat business is that? Comedy news?
What exactly does she do? I assume for anybody to know what she does, one would have to watch her show, and from her ratings, there are very few who can answer the question.
I know from the various youtube clips people send me, she does spend lots of time attempting to attack anything traditional or pro-American. I know she generally does this with a manly smirk on her face.
I think she would fair far better as a sidekick to John Stewart, who is equally wrong-headed, but at least has a bit of talent, even if it is the kind of talent we all witty and funny in grade school.
We have been hoping for the defunding of NPR for years. The firing of Juan Williams for having the audacity to tell the truth just highlighted why news and entertainment should not be government funded. Did we learn nothing from the USSR? We have no need for a “Pravda” in the USA.
The Arizona law does NOT order police to “lock up” anybody who cannot prove they entered the US legally. The law allows officers to check the immigration status of a someone who has been detained or arrested for another offence. In other words, it is no different than police running a warrant search on a person who has been pulled over for a traffic violation. A procedure that happens on most traffic stops across the USA.
Does it bother you that Arizona wishes to put law breakers in prison? If they are going to be more effective at catching law breakers, doesn’t it make sense to build more facilities to house the criminals? Would you rather have the government operate all the prisons? I guess the fine job it does with the US Postal Service, the VA, various DMVs across the land, immigration (the failure of which has caused this debate), FHA, Fannie, Freddie, FDIC, and any other agency, demonstrates it is efficient and honest.
I am no fan of laws extending policing powers, unlike those on the left, I do not like or trust government. I do not trust it to properly fix roads, operate businesses, collect taxes, run healthcare, or run prisons. If an organization can be screwed up, the government can always find a way to screw it up better. I am a fan, however, of a sovereign state creating laws that the citizens of that state favor, for their own protection or pleasure.
The state of Arizona is not my problem. If Californians want to inhale pot smoke, and become even more mentally challenged than they are already, I could not care less. If you New Yorkers want to legislate and tax yourselves into bankruptcy, have at it. If Virginia wants to continue allowing persons to carry unlicensed guns, it is our business, not the business of Barrack Obama and his storm troopers at the DOJ.
"At the same time, Nixon and subsequent presidents effectively bought off news corporations by deregulating them, allowing them to gorge themselves on a noxious diet of sensationalism and trivialities that reaped record profits while debasing public discourse"
ReplyDeleteThat excerpt is from the new book "Poisoning the Press" by Mark Feldstein. With that brief paragraph, Feldstein makes the case for public radio and television. Absent any regulation, like the Fairness Doctrine that Reagan repealed, and you end up with the media landscape that exists today. NPR currently gets less then 6% of it's operating budget from the government. Yet the Right is screaming about even that miniscule sum.
Juan Williams was a mediocrity who deserved to be fired. NPR's only mistake was handling it badly. They should have waited until his contract expired and then quietly let him go.
You conveniently skirted the whole issue of the demands imposed by having a for-profit entity in the business of prisons. It is elementary logic that they will do whatever it takes to maximize profits. In this instance, that means filling up jail cells. Apparently, you believe that this would be a positive development. I think the whole idea of prisons run by private contractors is appalling.
And if the private sector is so efficient, why do prisoners keep breaking out of their jails? Three murderers escape from a prison using wire cutters to cut a hole in a perimeter fence. Three white murderers. No wonder the Arizona police had such a hard time finding them...
NPR gets ONLY 6% of its funding from the government???? Are you aware of what that 6% is in dollars? If it is so unimportant, then why accept it. NPR could end the argument quite easily. Get off the government teet and create a product that somebody actually wants to pay for!
ReplyDeleteProfit is not a bad thing. It is a better motivator to create a quality product than any other. Surely whatever motivation the government offers its people is not working.
Your argument against private news organization smells of socialism. You are against the listeners choosing their news source? You trust the government to deliver more reliable information than the thousands of sources available today, thanks to private enterprise?
Does your blind faith in government's ability translate to other industry as well? Do you prefer government forcefully taking control of the health and auto industries? Are you seriously going to attempt to defend government "efficiency"??
Come visit DC, I will show you the height of inefficiency and fraud. Your government is laughing at all of you outside the beltway. We have more money, less unemployment, and a better economy than all the areas of the country that, like lemmings, pay their taxes to support the lavish DC lifestyle.
I am not sure of the details of various prison escapes, but I do know that there have been plenty of failures within the government prison system, from murders to rapes to escapes. that system has hardly been a model for rehabilitation.
There were three escaped "white murderers" in Arizona. Oh no! White murders are sooo much scarier than non-white murderers. I am not sure what you are suggesting. Are white harder to find than others? Are you suggesting that the government police force was inefficient, corrupt or incapable?
The only entity I see buying off news sources is your ol' buddy Soros (a profiteer). A few hours after purchasing favor with NPR, Juan Williams, a Fox New contributor, was promptly fired and called crazy.
Somehow, I doubt that all of those DC residents living a "lavish" lifestyle are government workers. Lobbyists and defense contractors would be my guess. The point I was making with the story of the "white murderers" escaping was that the AZ police are so busy looking for brown-skinned people, that the three escapees would escape their notice.
ReplyDeleteI would wager that the Juan Williams episode was staged by O'Reilly , who was hoping to provoke exactly the reaction that he got from NPR. Doubtlessly, Williams had been warned about how his appearances on Fox conflicted with his role at NPR. This was not an isolated incident. Williams had gone on Fox last year and described Michelle Obama as "Stokely Carmichael in a designer dress". If Fox wants to pay Juan Williams millions to spew such nonsense, that is certainly their right. But, he couldn't wear two hats. An objective, reasoned observer on NPR, and a partisan hack on Fox.
Presumably, you would have us outsource and privatize everything that moves. The profit-driven media environment that you pay homage to is dreadful beyond words. Everywhere you look it is a race to the bottom. Nearly all forms of information and entertainment today are tailored to appeal to someone with the intelligence of an very slow 14-year old. Just because most people have no concept of culture or refinement is no reason to cater to them.
Feel free to call me an elitist snob. I make no apologies for believing that some things are inherently superior to others. Do you really respect Sarah Palin? Someone who wears her ignorance like a badge of honor? Christine O'Donnell proudly trumpets the fact that she "didn't go to Yale". Have we actually reached the point where lack of education and knowledge is considered an political asset?
All on the left suffer from a degree of elitist snobbery, it is not their fault, I think it is a flaw in their DNA.
ReplyDeleteIf one did "not go to Yale" one is not educated. WOW! Harvard graduates will be irate, all that money wasted to wind up being considered uneducated by elitist snobs.
I also believe some things are "inherently superior", like western culture, Christianity, liberty, and free enterprise.
I do not think there is a "superior" flavor of ice cream, that is simply opinion, although I am sure those on the left feel that a Yale education gives them a better pallet for choosing ice cream flavors too.
Funny, the left did not feel so confident of the ivy league education when our last President presented such credentials. I suppose one has to have an ivy league education, and be a left wing mouthpiece, otherwise one must have not payed enough attention while attending.
The culture has gone to pot, I agree. The likes of smart-ass news/comedy shows the likes of John Liebowitz (Stewart) has reduced comedy to the level of 3rd grade potty jokes.
I put the blame squarely on the government and its joke of a public school system. A system that is more concerned with teaching "tolerance" than math and the use of condoms before English. There is no time for Shakespeare, the kids are too busy reading books authored by Obama and Kennedy.
You seem to have the solution: give the government more control. It has done so well thus far, hasn't it?
A profit driven society is not perfect, but it is free. It does not serve all, but will serve most people who are willing to work hard. A non-profit society serves only the leaders and the lazy (often the same people). It rewards those without vision, a work-ethic, or talent.
I prefer to be well-paid for my talent and hard work, and let those who wish to lounge around suffer for their sloth.
DC has plenty of wealthy contractors and lobbyists, all which further support my point. The system here is all created by your trusted Federal Government. But not all the wealth is in the hands of these "camp followers", the average Federal worker now earns upwards of $125,000 dollars per year vs. the average worker at 62,000.
The average Federal worker toils for fewer hours , has better benefits and more job security than those in the real world. It is a travesty and the left wants it expanded.
Not sure where those numbers come from. I did a google search and the average American worker's salary seems to come in around $45,000/year. As far as that number for the average Federal worker, I could not find anything to either confirm or refute it. It strikes me as unrealistically high however.
ReplyDeleteDid it ever occur to you that those contractors and lobbyists are the principal reason for the corruption in our political system? Or the fact that most wealthy people did not realize their good fortune by dint of hard work and talent, but because of connections? Our laws are written by rich people, and the tax code is structured to reward wealth with more wealth. Poor people work harder then anyone else, and all for a relative pittance. And don't give me that Horatio Alger nonsense; we both know that "pulling oneself up by the bootstraps" is an unlikely avenue to wealth. Your odds of becoming rich are probably better if you play the lottery
If I'm not mistaken you seem to yearn for an older, better America. Yet the policies that you advocate are certain to accelerate the decline of our culture, morals, and values. The Right's irrational hatred of taxes leads to revenue-starved municipalities that are in turn forced to slash spending or reduce services. While I realize that your pat answer will be to simply privatize all of the services of government, you and I both know that is impossible for a number of reasons.
The money has to come from somewhere to keep the lights and power on, pay the police and firemen, etc., etc. Where do you get it from? Well, you can't raise taxes so that avenue is closed off. So instead you expand state-run lotteries and agitate for legalized casino gambling. Raise the so-called "sin" taxes some more; it's much easier to slip those by the voters. Same goes for the sales tax. These measures are all what can be accurately described as regressive taxes that disproportionately effect poor people.
It is obvious that don't approve of marijuana use, so I find it a bit amusing that you are oblivious to the fact that your philosophy of government will ultimately lead to it's legalization. Why, you ask? For the simple reason that they will be in desperate need of the revenue to be made by taxing the sale of it. Hell, it has already begun in California and it will spread like a wildfire to the rest of the country.
Welcome to the brave new world that Grover Norquist made. Better hunker down with your guns behind those gates. The barbarians will be at them soon enough...
I must apologize for not being more clear with regard to income, the numbers I quoted include benefits packages such as healthcare, etc. Numbers that soon won’t need to be included as your dear leader has successfully incentivized employers to no longer include such things in our employment contracts.
ReplyDeleteThose lobbyists and contractors were created by the government. You put the cart miles before the horse. The same organization you entrust to manage all things, is inundated with the inherited wealth you despise. You seem to think the poor, helpless, caring politicians are victims of bullying lobbyists and contractors when politicians willing climb into bed with these people daily. Regulation is never created to contain big business, it is created to curtail small business from competing.
Our tax code is written to purchase votes, plain and simple. Almost all federal taxed are paid by upper income citizens, while 40% of Americans pay no federal tax. Exactly how does this benefit the “rich”???
The poor work hardest? Who are these struggling poor people? If one is on welfare, what “hard” work is he doing? Hanging out at the liquor store scratching lottery tickets? Tough work, and without benefits I guess they might get carpel tunnel syndrome from the repetitive scratching and not be able to afford the treatment. Although I am sure in the new healthcare program, they will find a way to make me pay for that too.
If one cannot “pull himself up by his own bootstraps” one is not pulling hard enough, and whether or not he had the same opportunities as others, he has no right to demand others pull for him. This will not make him smarter, more creative or wealthier in the long run. It will simply create a guy who expects help getting up every morning.
The right’s hatred of oppressive taxation is far from irrational. It is with the knowledge and experience of people who have actually built something, created jobs, and take care of their own that this we would rather not give our property to those who have not earned it. The only statistics I can find on millionaires in the US demonstrate that most are self-made. They did, in fact, pull themselves up by their own bootstraps.
ReplyDeleteThe money to keep the lights on and run other important services does come from somewhere, my paying my utility bills!! The police and fire are paid from my state and local taxes. Whatever federal funds are involved, I am willing to give back, and the federal government in return can let me keep my tax dollars. Hell, with the taxes I pay, I can hire my own private security.
I have no love of the lottery, it is simply another way for government to get its filthy hands on more funds. Casinos? I have no problem with adults making a decision to foolishly risk their capital for the thrill of a game. We do it every day with Social Security, and it is really foolish, as there is no chance of a jackpot.
I do not approve of marijuana in my home nor do I want it legal in my state, it is the federal government I fear most; however, if some other state wishes to legalize its use, or cocaine use, or heroine, I could not care less. That state will run the experiment from which we can all learn. As I said, adults have rights to make their own decisions, we do not need a Bloomberg or Mrs. Obama telling us how much salt of fat to consume.
Revenue starved municipalities should figure out why they cannot produce revenue, and not expect those successful municipalities to fund their failures. If a municipality cannot accomplish this, let it become a ghost town, like any other bankrupt enterprise.
The fundamental flaw in your argument is its lack of respect for one’s right to property. Whether or not you “feel” that property was attained in a way you do not like, does not matter, as long as it has not been proven, through due process, that it was attained by illegal means.. The constitution also applies to the wealthy. His property is his just as much as a ragged pair of shoes belongs to a beggar. The amount or value does not affect ownership, no matter how tempting it may be. To ignore this is to destroy the incentive one has to work really hard to finally own property, as he will be aware it can be taken by the envious at any time.
The barbarians are inside the gates! “Barbarians” come in many forms, the IRS, SEC, DOJ, among others. You needn’t worry though, we have kept our guns and will be there to defend your rights too. God help the federal government who dares try take that right away from a Virginian!
Enjoy your election day, the fight to send the barbarians home has begun!