Friday, March 1, 2013

Blue Plate Special?

So, I read this entertaining article on the "sequester" this morning and really couldn't believe what I was reading, until I considered the source. Yahoo News has become so left-focused that many of their writers now pass off fluff like this without any shame whatsoever, simply to please the populace and encourage an attitude of complacency and ignorance... or so it seems.

There's a link to the article below, but here's just a taste of the scat that's passing as journalism on Yahoo News these days:

"…the blame falls more heavily on congressional Republicans than it does the White House. Peddling tax cuts as a solution for all human maladies including writer’s block, the GOP has thwarted every effort by Obama since the 2010 elections to stimulate the economy."
My wonder, considering the statement above is this: which party has faithfully passed a budget in each of the last 4 years and which has failed to do so? Which planet, exactly, does this writer call home? Has he been observing the same government that the rest of us have been watching?

While the article does have some valid points, most of it is political pandering and verbose. Sadly, many will read the article (or some of it) and go for broke in quoting the talking points as fact. This is what we're up against. Below is a link to the online article along with my response to the author.




My Reply:
Mr. Shapiro... methinks you are delusional. First, how... exactly... is Bob Woodward's claim exaggerated? Do you really believe that one of the most respected journalists in U.S. history (and I'm not a particular "fan") would not weigh this situation with utmost concern before making it publicly known? It's exaggerated only perhaps in the sense that one might consider the closest star to our planet, aside from our sun, as in our "neighborhood." I'd like to hear your explanation, not just your decree, that Mr. Woodward's claim is exaggerated (some proof or evidence would be nice, too.)

Second, if you can correctly recall... President John F. Kennedy did more to stimulate the economy of his day by doing exactly what most Republicans have been calling for... cutting taxes and broadening the base. It was Kennedy who said "ask not what your country can do for you..."

Third... Draconian? Really? Do you know much about Draco? Is 3% really catastrophic and severe in your world? If so, I suggest that there are more pressing problems that we all face. For enlightenment's purpose, 3% of a standard day is just slightly over 43 minutes, or not even enough time to catch the latest episode of American Idol. If the sequester cuts are to be considered Draconian, in the least, it is only because of the lack of comprehension on the part of the observer.

Lastly, when it comes to placing the heavier burden of blame on the Republicans, I can only ask this: which group of politicians has passed and presented a budget... a real, working budget... every year for the past 4 years, and which one has not? It's hard to talk about how much spending is going to take place and how much is going to be cut when there's no concept of how much there is in the pot.

2 comments:

  1. Yahoo is "mainstream media." Any source of information that exists to sell advertising can never be considered reliable.

    Now the challenge is just convincing the one billion people around the world who use the Internet that the "news" they are reading is something less than truth, to put it mildly.

    On a similar note, Yahoo probably knows its audience well. They are simply giving readers what they want -- junk that aligns with their preconceived notions and biases about the world.

    In fact, you may want to buy stock in Yahoo. They certainly have an ideal platform and millions of consumers who prefer illusion to reality.

    Keep up the good work...

    Kent

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    1. Cue the spirit of Doug Henning... it's an ill-eeew-shun! Kent, I love your illusion vs. reality approach... so very, very appropriate! I agree, also, that Yahoo definitely knows its audience. Thanks for the comments.

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