RIGHTS vs. RESPONSIBILITIES
It’s December and we’ve had nearly a year of the Democratically controlled Congress. Reid and Pelosi proclaimed that they were going to reverse all the Bush Administration “abuses” within the first 100 days. They proclaimed that Congress would be in session five days per week, all day! They proclaimed a great many initiatives that would be accomplished during that time frame.
None of that has happened.
Despite a plethora of ill-conceived attempts, nothing major in the way of legislation has been accomplished. This, to my mind, is a good thing. Most of what the Dems proposed was witless, lacking in foresight and thoroughly un-American, informed as it was by multiple advanced cases of Bush Derangement Syndrome.
You know the interesting thing is, while the Dems were flapping about and making overly ambitious plans to redesign the American landscape as we have known it (for over 200 years), the President went about his business quietly and now what do we have?
Pollsters report that the approval rating of the U.S. Congress is at 11%. And while the President’s poll numbers (about which he does not care – refreshing in and of itself) are still in the high 30s, the economy, contrary to almost daily dire predictions of doom, just keeps ticking along. People have made the statement to me, as recently as this past weekend, that “the economy is in bad, bad shape” and I have asked for specific examples – which they cannot give. What it boils down to is that these incurious dopes have read something negative in the Washington Post (aka Pravda on the Potomac) or the New York Times (“All the news fit to line your trash can – don’t be unkind to your bird!”) and have accepted it as gospel. DON’T DO THAT!
Last night in the car pool, there was a heated discussion of the news media and the perception of the other riders in the car pool that we have freedom of speech and freedom of the press and the media can do what it likes! My rejoinder was simple. No, damn it, they cannot. Just as freedom of speech does NOT allow you to yell “Fire” in a crowded theatre, freedom of the press does not permit falsehood being marketed as news. Marketing OPINION under the guise of NEWS/FACTS is an egredious offense. But until (a) more people understand the RESPONSIBILITies that accompany the RIGHTS afforded the news media and (b) start raising hell at the top of their lungs in MASSIVE numbers (whilst refusing to patronize the offending media outlets) when those responsibilities are not honored – nothing is going to change.
Oh yes, and just in case you believe Harry Reid (why believe him about anything when he is incapable of speaking the truth), here’s a news flash for you, free of charge: THE FREAKING SURGE IS WORKING! President Bush and General Petraeus were RIGHT and Senators Reid and Clinton were WRONG (although they are wrong so often, it hardly merits a comment).
None of that has happened.
Despite a plethora of ill-conceived attempts, nothing major in the way of legislation has been accomplished. This, to my mind, is a good thing. Most of what the Dems proposed was witless, lacking in foresight and thoroughly un-American, informed as it was by multiple advanced cases of Bush Derangement Syndrome.
You know the interesting thing is, while the Dems were flapping about and making overly ambitious plans to redesign the American landscape as we have known it (for over 200 years), the President went about his business quietly and now what do we have?
Pollsters report that the approval rating of the U.S. Congress is at 11%. And while the President’s poll numbers (about which he does not care – refreshing in and of itself) are still in the high 30s, the economy, contrary to almost daily dire predictions of doom, just keeps ticking along. People have made the statement to me, as recently as this past weekend, that “the economy is in bad, bad shape” and I have asked for specific examples – which they cannot give. What it boils down to is that these incurious dopes have read something negative in the Washington Post (aka Pravda on the Potomac) or the New York Times (“All the news fit to line your trash can – don’t be unkind to your bird!”) and have accepted it as gospel. DON’T DO THAT!
Last night in the car pool, there was a heated discussion of the news media and the perception of the other riders in the car pool that we have freedom of speech and freedom of the press and the media can do what it likes! My rejoinder was simple. No, damn it, they cannot. Just as freedom of speech does NOT allow you to yell “Fire” in a crowded theatre, freedom of the press does not permit falsehood being marketed as news. Marketing OPINION under the guise of NEWS/FACTS is an egredious offense. But until (a) more people understand the RESPONSIBILITies that accompany the RIGHTS afforded the news media and (b) start raising hell at the top of their lungs in MASSIVE numbers (whilst refusing to patronize the offending media outlets) when those responsibilities are not honored – nothing is going to change.
Oh yes, and just in case you believe Harry Reid (why believe him about anything when he is incapable of speaking the truth), here’s a news flash for you, free of charge: THE FREAKING SURGE IS WORKING! President Bush and General Petraeus were RIGHT and Senators Reid and Clinton were WRONG (although they are wrong so often, it hardly merits a comment).
3 comments:
Rights AND reponsibilities? Nahhhh. What is this, a Republic?
Gimme, gimme, gimme! (oops, sorry, I channeled a Democrat!)
Actually, benning, you're absolutely correct - we ARE a Republic.
That's interesting. Last week I read a report headlined something about the mortgage crisis causing some tent city to get bigger, only to find out midway down the column that not one person in that tent city was displaced from their house because of the mortgage crisis. But they were sure there was some connection. I think there were a just a bunch of homeless folks who decided it was better to live together.
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