Lately, I’ve been hearing a lot of people talking about their opinions on various issues. Often they expressed all kinds of ideas about topics in which they’ve had no personal experience and no knowledge of the subject in any formal way. In some cases their opinions were simply based on conversations with others. Frequently they express these views as though they were experts in the subjects and become very indignant or even outraged when they are actually challenged on those views. The reaction is often that as American’s we are entitled to express our views and therefore my opinions are as legitimate as yours. Frankly that just isn’t always a fact.
Let us start with the very definition of the word, opinion. The dictionary defines it as “ A belief or judgment that rests on grounds insufficient to produce complete certainty, a personal view, attitude, or appraisal.” Opinions are often based on nothing more than wild speculation with no facts at all. We need to be very careful when we accept opinions as though they had real value. Not all opinions are good and some are downright dangerous. Because someone has an opinion on something, does not necessarily add value to any discussion of serious issues.
Matters that are critical to the survival of our nation should not be based on opinions. They should be founded on the best available facts, data, and analysis that we can find. There is a fine line between censorship and responsible journalistic decisions on what to publish. That is no easy decision, but it is one that journalists need to take very seriously. All of us need to challenge others who are simply expressing uneducated opinion. There is a huge difference between knowing something and expressing an opinion. I may have climbed a mountain many times and looked out across the valleys below, while another person sees that same mountain and says it is just a mirage. That person might well believe it is a mirage and has a right to hold that opinion, but it means little. The mountain is still there and we’ve traveled upon it.
I have tried many times to make a distinction between matters of opinion. We probably all hold some opinions on many things, but opinions really don’t matter much unless they are supported by the best information available. No one cares much about my personal opinions. My purpose for writing most articles is not to express opinion, but to explain and generate thoughtful consideration of new ideas. Discussion is important to the learning process, but closed minds are of no value to a discussion. If we are to learn and advance our thinking, we have always got to be open to new ideas and ways of thinking about things. That seems to be the biggest obstacle to political debate these days. No one seems to be able to discuss anything without the other side just name calling. These are closed minds with no intent to learn anything. Since it is unlikely that those people will ever be able to change, it is best to focus on those more toward the middle of an issue. Hopefully the vast majority of Americans will keep their minds open and continue to seek what is true.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Where Are the Journalists?
Where have all the Journalists gone? The question reminds me of a refrain from an old Peter, Paul, and Marie song. Has objective journalism died in this country? Have news agencies evolved into political blogs? As we watch the White House news corps these days, it certainly seems so. I often feel like I am listening to Pravda or some other state run television station. Broadcasters at ABC prepared a two hour infomercial on the President’s proposed healthcare package, allowing no GOP rebuttal or dissent. They wouldn’t even accept opposing view commercials. Now that is truly in the political tank. What is going on here? How did we get so far astray from the journalistic ethics of just 25 years ago?
I’ll leave some of that speculation to the insiders of the news agencies, but there is usually a more fundamental truth within corporations. If the minions within the business are all running up the hill in one direction, they are following someone higher up the hill. Look to the top and you will get your answer as to who is giving direction to this cast of reporters. Nothing goes into a newspaper without the approval of the managing editor and even he/she won’t be around long if that editor opposes the publisher. The same is true of these TV companies. The question shouldn’t be, why is Brian Williams bowing before the President, or why is Charlie Gibson avoiding asking the tough questions. The question should be, “Who is telling him to do it and why?”
When I first began my research for this article, I fully expected to find a correlation or common thread running through the individuals who make the real decisions for these news agencies. What I began to see was a collection of very different characters with their own reasons for supporting the views they promoted through their holdings. If there are commonalities, they weren’t apparent to me. Those people who are really curious about what is going on should look at the CEOs and members of the Board of Directors of these companies. This is where the financial truth lies. That is where you will find the real incentives for political support. Don’t expect journalistic objectivity from businesses who own the media outlets for the purpose of promoting their own interests. Real journalism seems to have been lost. We no longer have reporters of the news. We now have writers who want to tell us their version of a story.
I’ll leave some of that speculation to the insiders of the news agencies, but there is usually a more fundamental truth within corporations. If the minions within the business are all running up the hill in one direction, they are following someone higher up the hill. Look to the top and you will get your answer as to who is giving direction to this cast of reporters. Nothing goes into a newspaper without the approval of the managing editor and even he/she won’t be around long if that editor opposes the publisher. The same is true of these TV companies. The question shouldn’t be, why is Brian Williams bowing before the President, or why is Charlie Gibson avoiding asking the tough questions. The question should be, “Who is telling him to do it and why?”
When I first began my research for this article, I fully expected to find a correlation or common thread running through the individuals who make the real decisions for these news agencies. What I began to see was a collection of very different characters with their own reasons for supporting the views they promoted through their holdings. If there are commonalities, they weren’t apparent to me. Those people who are really curious about what is going on should look at the CEOs and members of the Board of Directors of these companies. This is where the financial truth lies. That is where you will find the real incentives for political support. Don’t expect journalistic objectivity from businesses who own the media outlets for the purpose of promoting their own interests. Real journalism seems to have been lost. We no longer have reporters of the news. We now have writers who want to tell us their version of a story.
Congressional and Presidential Bailouts or Theft?
In earlier articles on this blog site, I’ve written about the Constitution and included copies of the actual wording in the US Constitution that were written to prevent intrusion by the Federal Government into matters reserved to the states and to the citizens. The Constitution is very specific about these issues as were all the writings of the founders at the time. There can be little question that they worried that their newly formed government might try to revert to the ways of Europe and to control by a central authority. When writing the Constitution, our fore fathers were trying their hardest to prevent the very things we are seeing being reintroduced by Congress and the President.
While the erosion of state’s rights has been going on for some time, never have we seen a wholesale take over by any level of government of private enterprise like we are seeing over the last year. This recent activity is such an over reaching of the Commerce Clause of Article One that it is hard to make any rational argument for its legality. Yet, we have hundreds of Congressmen supporting these outrageous activities. Here is what Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution says:
“To regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several states, and with the Indian tribes;”
I doubt there is any other single sentence in the entire Constitution that has been so badly stretched and abused by Congress, except the Necessary and Proper Clause in the same section which reads as follows:
“To make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers, and all other powers vested by this Constitution in the government of the United States, or in any department or officer thereof.”
These are the only sentences in the entire Constitution that mention any commercial authority at all. The rest is dedicated to security of the nation and the rights of the states and the people. With these two simple sentences we have gotten government takeovers of banks, various other financial institutions, car companies, government health care, and on down the list of every federally sponsored program in the states. We now have Congressmen telling us that Congress and the President have the right to tell individuals what they must buy, like health insurance or car companies. Under what provision of the Constitution do they have the right to tell me that I have to acquire stock in a car company, or subsidize my neighbor’s purchase of their car with a clunker rebate? Where does it say Congress has the authority to tell any citizen that they have to buy health insurance, a winter coat, or any other commodity or service? This is so egregious that every American regardless of party affiliation should be outraged and terrified of these crazies who have taken over our government. Until people stop the political allegiance blather, set aside their personal biases, and start to recognize what is happening to their personal rights and freedoms, we are all in danger of losing our country to corrupt politicians. Taxing us for unconstitutional purposes is not a bailout. It is theft. Wake up America and start to demand that politicians get out of our lives and wallets. They have no right to be there in the first place.
While the erosion of state’s rights has been going on for some time, never have we seen a wholesale take over by any level of government of private enterprise like we are seeing over the last year. This recent activity is such an over reaching of the Commerce Clause of Article One that it is hard to make any rational argument for its legality. Yet, we have hundreds of Congressmen supporting these outrageous activities. Here is what Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution says:
“To regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several states, and with the Indian tribes;”
I doubt there is any other single sentence in the entire Constitution that has been so badly stretched and abused by Congress, except the Necessary and Proper Clause in the same section which reads as follows:
“To make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers, and all other powers vested by this Constitution in the government of the United States, or in any department or officer thereof.”
These are the only sentences in the entire Constitution that mention any commercial authority at all. The rest is dedicated to security of the nation and the rights of the states and the people. With these two simple sentences we have gotten government takeovers of banks, various other financial institutions, car companies, government health care, and on down the list of every federally sponsored program in the states. We now have Congressmen telling us that Congress and the President have the right to tell individuals what they must buy, like health insurance or car companies. Under what provision of the Constitution do they have the right to tell me that I have to acquire stock in a car company, or subsidize my neighbor’s purchase of their car with a clunker rebate? Where does it say Congress has the authority to tell any citizen that they have to buy health insurance, a winter coat, or any other commodity or service? This is so egregious that every American regardless of party affiliation should be outraged and terrified of these crazies who have taken over our government. Until people stop the political allegiance blather, set aside their personal biases, and start to recognize what is happening to their personal rights and freedoms, we are all in danger of losing our country to corrupt politicians. Taxing us for unconstitutional purposes is not a bailout. It is theft. Wake up America and start to demand that politicians get out of our lives and wallets. They have no right to be there in the first place.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
The Politics of Self Interest
In all the recent debates in Congress, in local town hall meetings, and on television, it seems to me that many of us have lost sight of what people really mean when they hotly express their views of various issues. We hear the President profess his beliefs that we have a moral obligation to care for others. We hear people talk about the concerns of government entering their lives. We hear politicians debate the pros and cons of various options for extending government programs to stimulate the economy. Very little of this addresses the main reasons people vote for candidates.
Milton Friedman, a famous economist and theorist, probably expressed it best when he said that we all act in our own self interests. If you interview people anywhere in the world, most will tell you that they believe they are good, caring people. Even members of the violent M13 gang often will say their reason for joining the gang was to find others who cared about them and would protect them from the violence of others. Only a minority of individuals that have been abused throughout their life and have lost all self worth think of themselves as bad people. When politicians forget this simple idea or believe that they know what is best for other people, they will surely stir the ire of many in society. What we are seeing is part of that rebellion among different self interests. Trying to force our own ideas on others without helping them to understand how it is in their best interest will surely fail. Any government program, regardless of how well intentioned it might be, will always fail without the support of the public. This is true even in totalitarian governments. If the discontent rises to a high enough level, the public will rebel and throw out the tyrants.
An old axiom in politics is that the public always votes its wallet. That has probably been true throughout history. It is easy to be charitable when you are very wealthy and all your needs are met. It is even easier to be philanthropic with other people’s money. However, when people are struggling to make ends meet, or have very little themselves, or are just comfortable, they are not so quick to give away hard earned money. Americans have begun to realize that the massive debt that is accumulating will soon come due. Someone is going to have to pay the bill and that someone is all of us. Just like running up a massive personal credit card debt by spending on all the nice things we want now, the national debt must eventually be paid and that is doesn’t mean starting 30 years from now.
While it is important to discuss and understand our various differences, it is probably even more important to discuss what is in it for each of us. How will each of these proposals directly affect our own wallets?
Milton Friedman, a famous economist and theorist, probably expressed it best when he said that we all act in our own self interests. If you interview people anywhere in the world, most will tell you that they believe they are good, caring people. Even members of the violent M13 gang often will say their reason for joining the gang was to find others who cared about them and would protect them from the violence of others. Only a minority of individuals that have been abused throughout their life and have lost all self worth think of themselves as bad people. When politicians forget this simple idea or believe that they know what is best for other people, they will surely stir the ire of many in society. What we are seeing is part of that rebellion among different self interests. Trying to force our own ideas on others without helping them to understand how it is in their best interest will surely fail. Any government program, regardless of how well intentioned it might be, will always fail without the support of the public. This is true even in totalitarian governments. If the discontent rises to a high enough level, the public will rebel and throw out the tyrants.
An old axiom in politics is that the public always votes its wallet. That has probably been true throughout history. It is easy to be charitable when you are very wealthy and all your needs are met. It is even easier to be philanthropic with other people’s money. However, when people are struggling to make ends meet, or have very little themselves, or are just comfortable, they are not so quick to give away hard earned money. Americans have begun to realize that the massive debt that is accumulating will soon come due. Someone is going to have to pay the bill and that someone is all of us. Just like running up a massive personal credit card debt by spending on all the nice things we want now, the national debt must eventually be paid and that is doesn’t mean starting 30 years from now.
While it is important to discuss and understand our various differences, it is probably even more important to discuss what is in it for each of us. How will each of these proposals directly affect our own wallets?
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