Mainstream Media

When I was a kid there were three commercial televisions networks, PBS, and an independent station or two. News came from a 30-minute local broadcast at 6:00pm and was followed immediately by a 30-minute network newscast. The daily paper was on our driveway every morning and was supplemented by “The Today Show”. Throughout the day AM radio would air news on the hour. That is the media with which I grew up, and not until Ted Turner’s Cable News Network did the idea of 24-hour news flowing into our living room become a possibility. This was quickly followed by the abbreviated version with “Headline News”. Ultimately, other entrepreneurs followed with “The Weather Channel”, “C-Span”, and areas of specific interest like financial news.

All of the above media suffer from their own problems, usually attributed to their delivery method. The 24-hour channels find themselves without enough information to fill the day so they turn to commentary. The daily newspaper is typically 24-48 hours behind events due to publishing and delivery methods. Lastly, the major networks conceive their stories in the morning and build a broadcast around a concept that is not reactive to change or daytime events.

Personally, I feel “news” means the presentation of information or events. Unfortunately, what many view as news is colored commentary or persuasive opinion. For example, “A man robbed a bank” would be objective news reporting. On the other hand, “A burly man from the low-income neighborhood robbed a bank” could paint an entirely different picture in your mind. The simple use of adjectives and commentary has flowed into the news and tainted the objectivity of reporting and the average person is historically ignorant to this manipulation by accepting formerly credible news outlets at face value.

I would assert all media is “mainstream.” With television, newspaper, radio, and the internet we can access any news source at anytime. Every day I read multiple international and domestic newspapers, wire services, watch network news broadcasts, and scour several newsfeeds. I see trends in news and who is, or is not, reporting events. At the same time I also filter the adjectives and objectively form my own opinions. The insinuation of a domestic conspiracy in reporting is obvious when reviewing live, objective newsfeeds from around the world. I am intrigued by the three major networks presenting the same stories, in the same order day after day. I also wonder how major papers like the “New York Times” and “Washington Post” can have nearly identical front pages and editorial comments.

I believe the “Legacy” media is failing to provide objective reporting to its audience. Worse, it is not necessarily what, or how, it is reported, but the failure to report. For example, the “New York Times” made a conscious decision to withhold a story during the presidential election of 2008 that most likely would have changed the outcome of candidate choices. Most recently, the legacy broadcasting networks, the “New York Times”, and the “Washington Post” failed to provide timely reporting of events leading up to the resignation of a government official. Once upon a time I believe these legacy information outlets prided themselves on getting “the scoop” but it appears that is no longer the case.

The term “Mainstream Media” implies an accusation or conspiracy to promote an agenda. Some object to this, but the pattern has emerged over decades. The new method of story absence, however, is a covert method to undermine the “mainstream” argument. Objectivity would allow me to form opinions and omission of news is more manipulative than colored commentary.

Death and Taxes

Each time I find myself attending a funeral I start to reflect. Death is not a bad thing as our bodies seem to wear out for one reason or another. But, as a culture and society we seem to deny our ultimate end. One statement that intrigues me is the saying, “Only two things are known; death and taxes.” That basic assumption though, bothers me and has encouraged me to further think how I cannot do anything about death.

I know with certainty I will die and everyone around me will die. Of course, the cause of death cannot be predicted but the risks associated with it can be minimized and each of us tries to live with a goal of prolonging life. We literally fight death with all of our might but we cannot stop its inevitability. Taxes, however, are not an absolute. At some point in our history it appears that we evolved to accept taxes part of our being, just like death. Instead of continually working toward ending this other ‘absolute’ in our lives our society seems willing to perpetuate this self-destructive mechanism upon ourselves.

Taking a step back, maybe a better word for tax would be “privilege payment”. We pay for the privilege of living in a civilized society, and this argument could be made throughout human history. Most of us are willing to contribute a nominal amount of our individual efforts to support the purported common good of the society in which we live. I accept there is a cost to civilization as I expect infrastructure for safe water, sewage disposal, defense, and transportation. In some instances, I do not object to contributing to a common indigent fund for those who are suffering. Arguably, there may be additional ‘common goods’ we may decide to support. For instance, we may agree on the need for a method to enforce rules and laws and thus pay the personnel needed to do those jobs. We may want workplace safety, trees planted along side boulevards, stripes down the middle of roads, and jails to house those that do not follow our rules. Some members of our society may decide to put money toward paying others not to plant crops, not to go to work, or to take care of doctor’s bills, to give some people meals, housing, and even access to the internet; all in the name of the common good of the society.

Regardless of the specifics of the individual line items that we agree to tax ourselves for, we should constantly examine their necessity. I choose to minimize the risks I take in my daily life, exercise, eat well and therefore am hopefully prolonging my life and cheating death. I argue that we no longer do the same regarding taxes and instead readily acquiesce to taxing our individual efforts and allowing the state to control and disburse them. I assert we have voluntarily enslaved ourselves to an entity that we may not be able to escape.

Death is inevitable; the process of self-destruction through taxation is not. Taxes are acceptable when presented with a true cost and benefit analysis, a clear exit strategy from the tax, and a method to provide for checks and balances against a tax. If you were taking an inventory of your personal health in an effort to ensure you were prolonging your life you would question every risk, every activity, and eliminate those that are harming you. This same analysis must be performed frequently and regularly regarding taxes. We must question every dollar that is spent and be willing to take tough measures to eliminate waste, just as you would do personally.

The Wrong Debate

Health Insurance is not a right. It is not an entitlement, not a guarantee. I have searched the Constitution for insight into the current debate and noted that the founding fathers did not identify health insurance as an inalienable right. Stop and note, I did not say that health care is not a right. What is taking place in America today is the wrong debate and it is packaged under words like “health care reform”. But, no one is debating whether health care in America is adequate; in fact it is easily described as the best in the world with people seeking medical treatment in this country from around the world. The issue is cost, and who should pay for health care.

Unfortunately, when the wrong debate takes place too many people get trapped by the play on emotions. I always suggest taking a step back and asking “why”?

Why do we have health insurance? The health insurance debate began 100 years ago as medical technology improved and Progressives made calls for compulsory insurance. In 1920, these attempts failed as they were associated with the socialist policies of the Germans in WWI. By WWII though, more expensive hospital stays, successes by the “Blues”, and tax incentives made employee benefit programs such as insurance appealing. Ordinary citizens put a priority on access to health care, regardless of cost. Prior to that time, we paid our doctor when we needed treatment. Of course, sometimes a person did not have the resources to pay their doctor, but that did not mean they would not receive treatment. Unlike today, it was treatment first and pay later.

Why does health care in America cost so much? First, medical malpractice has increased the cost of basic overhead requiring doctors and hospitals to charge fees to offset this cost. Second, the government will only pay certain amounts on Medicare claims thus requiring all other payers to subsidize the costs of benefits to these recipients.

Why do doctors get paid so much? One of my concerns is this new debate in America over wages, basically class envy. In short, if being a brain surgeon were easy then we all would be doing it. I watched the anesthesiologist insert an epidural in my wife’s spine prior to the delivery of our son. I am a smart guy, an engineer that handled hazardous chemicals with explosive potential, but you could not pay me enough money to do what he did. These educated, skillful individuals deserve every amount of the wages they earn as they hold our lives in their hands. I want absolutely the best person doing that job. I do not see a doctor’s job as a “staff” position equivalent to a mid-level manager nor do I feel my plumber should earn more. Heck, Congressmen earn $176,000/year and doctors are more educated, more trained, and care about me.

I have not offered a solution, because now we can debate the issue. Let’s agree that everyone is entitled to health care, but not to health insurance. Let’s agree that we have a great medical system with the best doctors in the world. And, let’s agree that health insurance is a nice convenience to offset catastrophe, but as individuals we are accountable for the health services we use and need to pay our bills. A large, government run health care insurance program is not the solution to the problems at hand.

Copyright © 2009 John R. Nelson. All Rights Reserved.

Another Casualty Of The Recession: Child Support


Dad's like me need support. PLEASE listen.

This article is from April, but makes the point well. Let's remember:
- 3 of 4 people terminated in this recession are men. Women are set to become the majority in the workforce (NBC)
- Jobs available are now at 1999 levels, but yet the population has grown by 33.7 million since then.
- Official unemployment is currently 9.7%. (actually 16.2%)

Duck! It’s a Flying Car!

I was born in 1967, at the height of the hippie counter culture during the summer of love. The war in Vietnam was escalating, but was not quite an evening presence in our living rooms. As a nation we were focused on getting to the moon and beating back the Soviets. A computer filled a room, but had less computing power than today’s digital watches. A color TV was an expensive marvel and “Made in Japan” was synonymous with “cheap”.

As a child in the early 1970’s, Evil Knevil was idolized, I saw television shows such as Star Trek and repeats of “Lost in Space”. I remember seeing the Bell Telephone book with pictures of people talking in the future on videophones and could not wait to go to Disney World to fill my head with more images of “Tomorrow land”. The year 2000 was so far away, but yet full of promises that we would be driving flying cars, watching TV on walls, and living on the moon. Doors would open and close with sounds as we approached them, lights would activate automatically, and we would talk to computers; living like George Jetston.

Some parts of that vision have come true as I do have flat panel televisions that hang like pictures, carry a communicator (cell-phone) in my pocket, not unlike “James T. Kirk”, and motion detectors open store doors and turn lights on and off. But the other technologic visions have escaped us. I traded my SUV two years ago, a vehicle which weighed as much as my Dad’s 1969 Ford Galaxy, and averaged the same gas mileage. In 35years we have accomplished little more in our ability to achieve a presence on the moon than where we were in 1973; having had no man step foot on our orbiting satellite since the last, Gene Cernan, left his mark.

On one hand, we have done so many things well: advances in medicine such as artificial hearts, efficiencies in agricultural, computers for the masses, and less costly access to education and travel. At the same time, our near God-like abilities have blinded us to changes taking place around us and created a near mass delusional acceptance of our abilities. The average American is more concerned with Britney Spears than the presidential election, last nights sports scores more than yesterday’s stock market, and planning a summer vacation than events in hostile world regions.

Natural disasters have struck several times in this country in the last decade demonstrating the average citizen cannot care for himself. Hurricane Katrina and its images of personal lollygagging without the wherewithal to save one’s self is an excellent example. I would asset the average person believes food comes from a can and has no understanding of how to care for himself. Other disasters such as flood, mass power failures, and California earthquakes have further driven home this problem that we are no longer the conquerors of technology and environment but have been conquered by our own success.

I want my flying car. I want the promises that were made to me as a kid by the generation that I am now paying social security to out of my paycheck. I want those advances to move forward and allow us to live on the moon and leave this planet. Instead, checks are being written that will further indebt out nation to others and ultimately force is back to a pre-industrialized agrarian society. Via increased energy costs, government bailouts, and trade deficits we are transferring our wealth to other nations and ultimately onto the backs of our children. In my opinion, it is more likely that we will be riding horses than driving flying cars in the future.