De-pressed

[Unkotare]

A free, impartial press is essential to democracy. Does anyone think we still have one? NBC 'moderates' a Republican debate with questions essentially of the sort "tell us why you suck so bad that no one should vote for you or anyone in your party." The obama administration is shamelessly going full-on Vietnam with a creeping, hypocritical "boots on the ground" mission in Syria despite all their bloviating to the contrary some months ago, and the 'press' is only hugging his nuts and saying what they are damn well told to say - yet again. A very important piece of the democracy puzzle has been missing for some time, and the potential consequences could be dire indeed.

No, an impartial press is not essential to democracy.

In fact, to say that the press needs to be 'free' and 'impartial' is an oxymoron,

because a free press has the freedom to be as biased as it chooses.

Your mistake stems from your limited capacity to reason.

You're free to attack me personally, or you're free to actually refute the substance of what I posted.

Which would be on-topic?

You don't have to take the truth as an attack.

 

[Unkotare]

A lot of talk about how we need a free press for a democracy to function. That is all well and good but the pathetically biased media we have to day is not because of some vaunted agenda that the secrete masters in the media want to push - it is because the people WANT biased media. They gobble that shit up as though it is pure gold. Actual news gets ignored and any company trying to stay as objective as possible is plowed out of business or dropped into obscurity.

What a functioning democracy requires is an interested electorate. No amount of media coverage or honesty will make up for the fact that Americans simply do not care or pay attention to their government and willfully abuse the shit out of the responsibility that comes with voting. It is rather despicable.

In contrast to what people think, the media is not there as a social obligation to us. Media is there for the same reason any company exists--to make profit.

Some have found profit by leaning left while the more successful outlets found profit by leaning to the right. They don't cover stories that we really need to know about such as these local police shootings or Trayvon Martin, they cover these stories because they mostly involve race and race stories sell.

The more people that tune into your channel, the more people that write e-mail, the more people buy your paper, the more people that visit your news site, the more profit your company makes.

Doctors, lawyers, and teachers work for money too, but they also perform an essential function in society and we depend on their integrity.

This is the media we're talking about here. They have no integrity.

Hence the problem.

 

[Iceweasel]

Sounds like we have the RWnuts here arguing for a Fairness Doctrine. How ironic.

No, the Fairness Doctrine, like most liberal policies, was the exact opposite of its' name sake. It required political views to have the same time as opposite views. It was like making a rap station play country music half the time. That isn't the same as objective reporting.

Today there are few reporters on the higher end. They exist in small locales but they become journalists to get bigger. Reporters report the news, journalists make the news.

So you concede that the press has no obligation to be politically unbiased.

How can I concede a point I never made? How about reading the actual posts?

Tell us in your words what you think the Fairness Doctrine was designed to do.

I already did you. Like I said, read.

 

[warf]

Well, we have an unqualified president now, who have divided the country more than it ever has been. Who is oblivious to any form of commonsense who's never had a real job.

You've made my point about an uninformed electorate.

Yes the country is divided. That's not good. But the country has been even more divided in the past.

An informed person would understand that Obama's administration isn't that much different than previous administrations. Bad trade deals, endless war, coddling of Wall Street, these are pretty much what has been going on for a few decades.

Obama's problem is that he's black. And not enough people know enough history (or anything else) to put things in any kind of perspective.

 

[Iceweasel]

Well, we have an unqualified president now, who have divided the country more than it ever has been. Who is oblivious to any form of commonsense who's never had a real job.

You've made my point about an uninformed electorate.

Yes the country is divided. That's not good. But the country has been even more divided in the past.

An informed person would understand that Obama's administration isn't that much different than previous administrations. Bad trade deals, endless war, coddling of Wall Street, these are pretty much what has been going on for a few decades.

Obama's problem is that he's black. And not enough people know enough history (or anything else) to put things in any kind of perspective.

We've had record spending and record slow recovery with record numbers on public assistance and record lows working for a living.

obama's blackness is relevant to retards like you, period.

 

[NYcarbineer]

Sounds like we have the RWnuts here arguing for a Fairness Doctrine. How ironic.

No, the Fairness Doctrine, like most liberal policies, was the exact opposite of its' name sake. It required political views to have the same time as opposite views. It was like making a rap station play country music half the time. That isn't the same as objective reporting.

Today there are few reporters on the higher end. They exist in small locales but they become journalists to get bigger. Reporters report the news, journalists make the news.

So you concede that the press has no obligation to be politically unbiased.

How can I concede a point I never made? How about reading the actual posts?

Tell us in your words what you think the Fairness Doctrine was designed to do.

I already did you. Like I said, read.

So an unbiased press is some sort of evil liberal fantasy?

The OP says an unbiased press is necessary for democracy.

 

[BULLDOG]

How can you have a free press when institutions like NPR receive federal funds.... Bought and paid for. I believe 6% of their revenues are tax payer funded, if you took that away what would they cut???

The right never had a problem with NPR until they documented some of Fox's lies. Fox went into attack mode, and the right wing followed their marching orders.

Sure, they had no problem until then.

I would love to see the outrage by the left if we ended up with an all Republican government and they funded Fox or AM radio with Rush and a host of others. We would never hear the and of it from day one.

Fox and AM radio exist to further the GOP line and attack all their enemies. NPR might lean one direction or the other at times, but their credibility is intact. Fox never had any integrity.

You don't want to be taken seriously, and you don't deserve to be.

Sorry, I won't lose much sleep over your opinion.

 

[warf]

We've had record spending and record slow recovery with record numbers on public assistance and record lows working for a living.

No why do think that is so?

Only the uninformed think a president makes the economy in one term.

Since we have sent our manufacturing jobs over seas what is there to put people to work? Food service minimum wage jobs? Low paid service jobs? Union busting so workers can't get a decent wage?

The only alternative is high tech cubicle jobs for which one needs a degree. And colleges are so expensive they are out of reach for most.

I guess since you don't know anything this is all news to you.

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

We've had record spending and record slow recovery with record numbers on public assistance and record lows working for a living.

No why do think that is so?

Only the uninformed think a president makes the economy in one term.

Since we have sent our manufacturing jobs over seas what is there to put people to work? Food service minimum wage jobs? Low paid service jobs? Union busting so workers can't get a decent wage?

The only alternative is high tech cubicle jobs for which one needs a degree. And colleges are so expensive they are out of reach for most.

I guess since you don't know anything this is all news to you.

Well I have some news for you: the transportation industry is looking for thousands of new drivers that they can't find. In fact, by the end of the year, we need at least 48,000 more people to fill those positions. Some jobs don't pay that great at the beginning, but with a year or two of experience, good paying jobs are out there.

 

[warf]

Well I have some news for you: the transportation industry is looking for thousands of new drivers that they can't find. In fact, by the end of the year, we need at least 48,000 more people to fill those positions. Some jobs don't pay that great at the beginning, but with a year or two of experience, good paying jobs are out there.

Yeah. I remember when trucking was a good job.

Then Reagan deregulated it and driving became a low paying job. It's now a job for someone who doesn't like to be home and loves bad food for short money.

The fact is that the working man is much worse off now than a generation ago and it's all due to the uninformed electorate voting against their best interests.

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

Well I have some news for you: the transportation industry is looking for thousands of new drivers that they can't find. In fact, by the end of the year, we need at least 48,000 more people to fill those positions. Some jobs don't pay that great at the beginning, but with a year or two of experience, good paying jobs are out there.

Yeah. I remember when trucking was a good job.

Then Reagan deregulated it and driving became a low paying job. It's now a job for someone who doesn't like to be home and loves bad food for short money.

The fact is that the working man is much worse off now than a generation ago and it's all due to the uninformed electorate voting against their best interests.

It's far from a low paying job especially if you get with a major carrier such as Fed Ex, UPS, Conway and so forth. The problem is getting Americans off of pot and their Obama phones to do the jobs.

The people responsible for our job loss are the people that voted for their self-interest. Between the support of overpaying unions, environmental regulations, taxes and government mandates, jobs left this country due to costs.

 

[Unkotare]

Well, we have an unqualified president now, who have divided the country more than it ever has been. Who is oblivious to any form of commonsense who's never had a real job.

You've made my point about an uninformed electorate.

Yes the country is divided. That's not good. But the country has been even more divided in the past.

An informed person would understand that Obama's administration isn't that much different than previous administrations. Bad trade deals, endless war, coddling of Wall Street, these are pretty much what has been going on for a few decades.

Obama's problem is that he's black. And not enough people know enough history (or anything else) to put things in any kind of perspective.

????

 

[warf]

Between the support of overpaying unions, environmental regulations, taxes and government mandates, jobs left this country due to costs.

Another example of the uninformed.

Sure, environmental regulations and taxes made off shoring attractive. But the trade deals that eliminated tariffs and the government agency (USAID) that assisted offshoring did the deed.

Do you know that companies that shut down here and move to low wage countries get a tax write off for firing Americans?

I'm not saying democrats good, Republicans evil. I'm saying that the politicians we vote for are working against working people for the benefit of the economic elite. And that's because people only think they know what's going on.

 

[Unkotare]

How can you have a free press when institutions like NPR receive federal funds.... Bought and paid for. I believe 6% of their revenues are tax payer funded, if you took that away what would they cut???

The right never had a problem with NPR until they documented some of Fox's lies. Fox went into attack mode, and the right wing followed their marching orders.

Sure, they had no problem until then.

I would love to see the outrage by the left if we ended up with an all Republican government and they funded Fox or AM radio with Rush and a host of others. We would never hear the and of it from day one.

Fox and AM radio exist to further the GOP line and attack all their enemies. NPR might lean one direction or the other at times, but their credibility is intact. Fox never had any integrity.

You don't want to be taken seriously, and you don't deserve to be.

Sorry, I won't lose much sleep over your opinion.

It's the response you wanted and you know it.

 

[Unkotare]

We've had record spending and record slow recovery with record numbers on public assistance and record lows working for a living.

colleges are so expensive they are out of reach for most.

Not true.

 

[Unkotare]

Well I have some news for you: the transportation industry is looking for thousands of new drivers that they can't find. In fact, by the end of the year, we need at least 48,000 more people to fill those positions. Some jobs don't pay that great at the beginning, but with a year or two of experience, good paying jobs are out there.

Yeah. I remember when trucking was a good job.

Then Reagan deregulated it and driving became a low paying job. It's now a job for someone who doesn't like to be home and loves bad food for short money.

The fact is that the working man is much worse off now than a generation ago and it's all due to




the uninformed electorate voting against their best interests.

The favorite motto of the arrogant, presumptuous liberal.

 

[Papageorgio]

Well, we have an unqualified president now, who have divided the country more than it ever has been. Who is oblivious to any form of commonsense who's never had a real job.

You've made my point about an uninformed electorate.

Yes the country is divided. That's not good. But the country has been even more divided in the past.

An informed person would understand that Obama's administration isn't that much different than previous administrations. Bad trade deals, endless war, coddling of Wall Street, these are pretty much what has been going on for a few decades.

Obama's problem is that he's black. And not enough people know enough history (or anything else) to put things in any kind of perspective.

I tire of racial BS. Obama's problem has nothing to do with his skin color, it has everything to do with his lack of communication skills, his policies, his slow economy and his attachment to the rich.

 

[Papageorgio]

Well I have some news for you: the transportation industry is looking for thousands of new drivers that they can't find. In fact, by the end of the year, we need at least 48,000 more people to fill those positions. Some jobs don't pay that great at the beginning, but with a year or two of experience, good paying jobs are out there.

Yeah. I remember when trucking was a good job.

Then Reagan deregulated it and driving became a low paying job. It's now a job for someone who doesn't like to be home and loves bad food for short money.

The fact is that the working man is much worse off now than a generation ago and it's all due to the uninformed electorate voting against their best interests.

What deregulation came under Reagan. Carter signed in deregulation in 1980 and then Clinton in 1995. What happened under Reagan?

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

Between the support of overpaying unions, environmental regulations, taxes and government mandates, jobs left this country due to costs.

Another example of the uninformed.

Sure, environmental regulations and taxes made off shoring attractive. But the trade deals that eliminated tariffs and the government agency (USAID) that assisted offshoring did the deed.

Do you know that companies that shut down here and move to low wage countries get a tax write off for firing Americans?

I'm not saying democrats good, Republicans evil. I'm saying that the politicians we vote for are working against working people for the benefit of the economic elite. And that's because people only think they know what's going on.

Well I do know what's going on, and that is nobody gets any tax breaks for firing Americans or moving overseas. Companies do get to write off moving expenses which isn't much and certainly not the attraction behind leaving the US.

So it doesn't matter whether you're moving your company from New York to Texas, or New York to Vietnam. You get the same exact tax break.

 

[SuperDemocrat]

I'm afraid that argument can be perverted into actually regulating the press in order to protect democracy.