Just Say Why

The Newspaper Fiasco
by
David Schlecht

We’ve reported in prior posts regarding the encroaching corporate bias in our local papers as they are gobbled up by the national and international media companies. Now even the national media outlets are losing money on local papers. What can a free country do without a free press?

Many of our country’s founding assumptions are based on the principle of a free press and there have been numerous articles written about the subject by or founding fathers. The idea of a free press has grown to include free media which includes radio, television, and now the Internet.

I think that by chunking up to the larger issue of free media, we are risking losing track of the fundamental that our forefathers were so concerned over. A free media is great but it’s not nearly as important as a free local press. Remember, back in the days of 1776, when our country was new, all press was local. The idea of a free press only meant local press.

Now that we have allowed our local free press to be gobbled up by greedy national corporations, we’ve abandoned the concerns our forefathers were so explicitly warning about.

All communities need local new reporters and local journalists and local papers. It’s time for us to put our tax dollars into our local news papers and bring back local investigating and local news.

But, you say that dead-tree press is already obsolete. You’re right, but there are plenty of people who can only afford a dead-tree newspaper and this will always be true. I know enough people who do not have Internet access and don’t get the new fandangled phone message news and the new fandangled, what-ever-comes-next. There will always be people who need access to the cheapest form of news. We can’t abandon those papers.

Should we use our tax dollars to ensure a free local press? Take the poll.

Stop Hate Speech
by
David Schlecht

[Updated below]

Michele Bachmann has been on a rant demonizing the American Census for a long time now and her followers are adding even more hate to the fire.

Just a couple days ago a Census worker was murdered in a grisly display of hatred.

No one really denies that there is a connection between the hate speech and the hate crimes, well, no one but the guilty. The rest of America know that it is cause and effect of too much hate speech.

Last year there were three murders of “liberals” by the weak-minded reading the hate speech of O’Reily, Hanity, and, Limbaugh.

When will America wake up and start enforcing our laws against hate speech? Had we enforced the laws when the crimes were committed last year, and the hate speech was addressed, then Bachmann would either have toned down her hate or gone to prison for it. Either way, there would have been one less hate crime.

It’s time to put hate speech in it place, in prison.

Update: There is evidence to believe that this grisly murder may have been a suicide. Does removing the one case from the discussion change the need for reform?

Did You Know?
by
David Schlecht

Here is some interesting trivia regarding America’s past.

1. Near the beginning of the our drive to independence, our founding fathers had a tea party revolt and dressed up as natives and dumped millions of (today’s) dollars worth of tea in the bay. This was a revolt against a corrupt corporation who had their taxes decreased so they could put American tea houses out of business. Got that? A revolt against greed and against corporations. You see, the Honourable East Indian Tea Company (one of the world’s first corporations) had become so influential that they were able to affect English legislation regarding their trade practices.
2. None of Americas founding fathers were stinkingly rich and none left financial legacies. Most of the founding fathers were middle class Americans. Some were a little better off and many were a lot worse off. None were what we would call corporate greedy, like today’s corporate greedy. In fact, from #1 you can see that they were opposed to unrestrained greed.
3. The upper nobility left America during and after the revolution, moving back to England or to Canada. Again, this is more examples of the fact that the founding of America was for a more equitable and just country. In fact, if you spend a few moments reading over the Declaration of Independence, you will see  equity and fairness as a fundamental theme. America is based on equitable and fair access to the country’s riches.
4. Welfare is referenced in our constitution, not once, but twice. Imagine that! The desire to help one another is a fundamental part of our founding documents. We’ve all read the words, “Life liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. Nowhere does our constitution make any special references to greed or free markets or free commerce. Nowhere! Why? Because the country was founded on being of, by, and for the people, not the corporations.

The very first congress provided welfare funds to help the needy. Got that? The very first one.

So, when you hear someone tell you that Welfare is illegal, it’s time you realized either they’re really that stupid or they’re purposely lying to you.  Helping one another was and is a fundamental American responsibility. Today, you hear all the stinkingly rich cry about having to repay to a society that has given them so much. For some reason, “greedy” and “selfish” just don’t seem to do justice to this kind of person.

If you hear politicians proclaiming that we need to reduce the size of government, it’s time to evict them. A strong and happy society has a strong and effective government. Those who want to do away with this don’t want America to follow the dreams of our founding fathers. Vote them out! When you hear Reagan say the “9 most terrifying words”, you should be disgusted in his ignorance.