Do you trust the mainstream media? Do you watch TV?
What you will read here may be mind blowing. If you want to stay ignorant and blissful, I suggest you stop reading now. If you want to be more informed and sobered, continue reading because you wont hear this in the mainstream media.
When you ask yourself if you feel influenced by the media you might say "no." If you watch television you may not think that the media influences you in particular. Even if you dont tune in to a favorite cable news program nightly and soak up their ideas, their influence is at the very least subliminal. Most people dont realize their impact. They shape the entire cultural around us, politically, socially, our whole world is seen, shared, and changed with according to their influence. Most of all, they are instrumental in constructing the dominant political thought in this nation.
This handful of major media corporations are slaves to their business interests. These corporations have stakes (through financing in investments, or being dependent on industries who advertise on their stations) in almost every sector and they are not just aiming to get you to buy their products and services. They aren't just influencing your spending patterns. The mainstream media forms and shapes public opinion and social thought. Television has the biggest impact on the masses, and it is owned by the five media behemoths with their hands in so many media sectors its startingly. Time Warner (CNN) , Viacom (CBS) , General Electric (NBC/MSNBC) , News Corporation (FOX) , and even sweet old Disney (ABC) is involved. Besides the obvious holdings in non-media sectors, here are the major media sectors they dominate: basic television, cable television , internet, radio, publishing, and telephony. Other media would include music labels, magazines, and movie studios.
The news media are often referred to as the fourth branch of government. They set the public agenda as much as government, if not more so. The basic principle of journalism is to report objectively. Although this is rarely the case, its not that the media will automatically tell you how to think. Its that they tell you what to think about, which is equally dangerous. They decide what is important enough for the masses to be concerned with. If they dont report it, the masses wont think much of anything about it.
Unfortunately their agenda is steeped in a profit motive. We must remember, that above all, these are massive corporations with a bottom line. They make their much of their revenue from corporate advertisers. They want more money for the owners (the majority owners who are the majority stockholders of their company and their affiliated corporations), and they want to push social opinion that is congruent with these goals. Unfortunately corporate greed and public thought can be conflicting, so they manage this by reporting what they want and in the exact way they want.
Its notable to recognize the many media mergers and conglomerations that have taken place in the last 20 years and especially within the last 5 to 10 years with the ever increasing corporate cronyism in Washington. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 was a prime example of a policy cloaked in providing better telephone, internet and other services but really only served to squash competition and allow major mergers to occur that has caused a monopoly in most markets. Consumers Union (non-profit publisher of Consumer Reports) stated in 2003 that 95% of consumers have one cable provider in their market and the 5% with a choice had on average 17% lower cable rates. Cable costs have been vastly outpacing inflation in the last 10 years. More marketshare and power over an industry so heavily regulated already means they are able to charge higher prices for their services.
I have to wonder if the cable price hikes arent being mentioned by media because of a larger motive, even beyond profits. A motive that is part of their brainwashing duty as expected by the ruling politicians. I wonder if its because most companies want to shut out the poorest consumers from getting their advertisements and their filler (the actual TV programming). It’s a profit motive surely. Is it because they want to show advertisers that they get results by exluding more low income people by pricing it higher? Sure. But more importantly, raising prices certainly allows them to influence a wealthier part of the citizenry. So the 24-hour, spin job, news pundits can influence the middle class and upper income voters proportionately more, since these are the people who vote the most and watch politics the most. These learned sounding people are put on television talk so much and say so little. Its frightful manipulation of thought to make people feel like they are being informed but they are getting a few talking points with little or no critical analysis. Its an interesting thought, pretend to teach the most to those who are seeking to examine the most.
Sure CNN with its Time Warner Cable wouldn’t pipe up about the cable rate hikes because they are cable providers, not Fox News because owning Direct TV satellite allows them to rake profits by being able to charge a little more since their dominating competitors are charging more, not Disney (ABC) or Viacom (CBS) since they are beneficiaries of corrupt telecom laws with radio back in 1996, so they aren't going to talk about the results of 1996 Act in its corrupt favors for other media sectors, since they benefited hugely from that act and shedding light on this telecommunications corruption would only damage their future to remain with those benefits. But what about General Electric (NBC/MSNBC), why not talk about it? Do they plan to own cable systems in the future? Perhaps they are such a massive company it seems plausible, or maybe they don’t want to shed light on the lack of government leadership and cozy government ties with the media industries because they are a part of the media.
Why does the corporate media have such a close relationship with the government?
Simple. Its a mutually beneficial relationship. Its not a giant conspiracy between the government and the media. Its a natural set of events based primarily on financial motives. Corporations want to be profitable. Government leaders want to be re-elected for their own financial reasons.
In order to get re-elected, politicians want their stated positions and opinions in the public consciousness and they dont want the masses to disapprove of these views. The corporations who run the media and the corporations they depend upon for advertising want favors from the government to become more profitable. Media companies and companies in all industries want legislation which is favorable to their interests; they want their pet legislation. And sometimes industries can even get their no-bid contracts for government sponsored activities. As a result, these massive media corporations report favorable news about them and their advertisers and spin unfavorable news to help their interests and the government when this news comes about.
How does the other half of the system work?
Corporations pay government officials large amounts of money in campaign donations. These dollars are spent on political advertising. This is what determines who can get elected and who will not. This is called the campaign finance system; its our legal form of bribery.
Political scholars have been vocal about the threat this represents to democracy since it really began in the 70's. It took off during the 80's and for the last fifteen years political scholars have been telling people what an enormous threat this has become to our democracy. Only the most wealthy industries, corporations, and special interests can influence government. Its undemocratic, its corrupt, its bribery, and its why our nation has become a corporatocracy. When in doubt, follow the money.
Every piece of legislation has the ability to hurt or help an industry or a corporation. Almost every single law has hundreds if not thousands of appropriation bills attached to them. Politicians tell you themselves that they dont have the time or desire to read through these. They read the basic legislation and they choose whether or not they want to vote on it. Thats how most of the pet legislation and crony-fied pork barrel spending gets passed. They sneak in these little attachments to larger pieces of legislation that literally almost nobody in Congress but the authoring legislator(s) will actually read.
The pet legislation is pushed into the laws and brokered through lobbyists. This is the term that originally was used to describe the people who congregated in the halls or lobbies of Congress. Today lobbyists are the people that are paid by these corporations and special interests in order to influence political legislation by meeting in private with elected officials. They take them to dinners and meet them at banquets and discuss the possibility of getting different pet legislation introduced into law.
Most often these corporations hire former Washington insiders to do the lobbying. These are most often former Senators, House Reps, sometimes state officials like governors, or family members and friends of politicians. This is in the hopes that these people will be able to use their political experience and personal relationships with politicians to influence legislation in their favor. These people can easily make a half million dollars per year going to dinners with Congressmen and discussing legislation.
Ask yourself, how many laws have been passed to line the pockets of the small percentage of the elite, the majority corporate owners, in the last 20 years? How many laws have actually been passed to help the pocketbook of the other 99.9% in the last 20 years? Unfortunately corporate greed and good public policy rarely fit together. It seems like Congress always makes sure they have a pay raise and their business interests are well taken care of, but rarely do they show care for the average man's paycheck unless it starts showing signs of damaging their own interests and perhaps the economy at large.
The government has become addicted to the money that keeps them in office. They have become addicted to the power they wield over industry. They sit on corporate boards in their stints between public service or they have family members who sit on corporate boards while they are in office. Take Lynne Cheney, the Vice President's wife, who has been vocally unapologetic about sitting on the corporate board of Lockheed Martin, the major defense contractor that won the contract to build fighter jets for the military over Boeing a couple years ago while her husband has been in office.
The mainstream media is owned by a few massive corporations that own many subsidiary corporations. Companies that advertise on their stations represent a great portion of their revenue, and thus they must protect their interests as well. All of this represents a giant power structure that most people dont realize is impacting their daily lives.
What could be done?
There is no easy and sweet sounding answer, other than that we need to get rid of the abuse of the for-profit news business. Revoke the public broadcasting frequency licenses of the wrongdoers and therefore correct the major flaw in our political system. People will say, "oh what about the poor broadcasters and their rich ass shareholders." I say screw them, they own so many non-news reporting media channels that they will do just fine. If you look at what they own besides the news channels you realize its not a big deal. GE, Viacom, Disney, News Corporation, and Time Warner have plenty of holdings... so they can cry all they want, but their corrupt reign over public property is then finished. They wouldnt even exist in the size they are at if they hadn't been given these rights and then systematically and increasingly abused the public trust for profits.
We allow the broadcasters to take their fake news to private broadcasting via cable where it belongs and we give the public broadcasting licenses to the non-for profit media. So all the free news reporting channels of today on the radio and television will be for non profit news agencies. In a system with competing free media, these info-tainment sources will seek their proper levels of influence in society. People will realize who these news sources truly represent, people who are trying to make a profit.
We need to pass a Democratic News Media Act that mandates a subsidized system of news agencies to set up a system for a news media that is promoting democracy and isn't held back by the desire to play nice with government corruption to get favorable legislation. We pass a law that gives a set number of broadcasters an equal amount of money adjusted for inflation on a yearly basis. They can give us debate and news without worrying about the glitz and ADD-like debating that they give us today in the quest for higher ratings and therefore higher profits from ad revenues. Today we have a media system that promotes a shamocracy, a plutocracy, an oligarchy, corporatocracy, mediocracy, joke of a system of self governance. When the citizens are uninformed, and politicians can hide corruption and manipulate thought with the assistance of a media they are cozy with, we dont have a true democracy by the people for the people. We have a system by the brainwashed for the brainwashed.
I am firmly anti-taxation. I think we are far overtaxed, and we need to cut the pork legislation and wasteful government spending that is hampering our economy, so realize that the proposal for a subsidized media system would be funded not by increasing taxes, but by eliminating so many of the insane expenditures that we have today.
After a media without profit motives is in place, we need to pass the legislation that ends the need for legal bribery, or as they slyly and benignly term it "campaign finance." We should probably ban all forms of political advertising in general, but if not that, we mandate free airtime for political candidates rather than forcing them to hoarde money from every lobbying wealthy interest which is allowing a system of governance where only the wealthy can run, and only the wealthy can influence legislation.
It is in fact entirely legal to require broadcasters to air a reasonable amount of political advertisments since the legal bribe system is the antithesis of the public interest. The broadcasters are given specific monopoly licenses over specific airwave frequencies so they can make profit of public property, but only while maintaining the public interest, that is the catch. The legal bribe scheme is the most anti-democratic emergence in our nations history, and it is necessary to stop it.
Today however, the media industry itself is the greatest beneficiary of the bribe system. Not only do they participate in the bribe system heavily, as they represent top campaign contributors, but they are the ones who get paid to run the political advertisments. They reap the benefits of the legal bribe system in every way since they are profit entities that run commercials to make profits. If we had a subsidized news media that was non-for-profit we would not have this problem. But good luck getting this idea into today's commercial media.
So if the government and the corporate mainstream media is corrupt, who can you trust?
Trust yourself. Never cease questioning the status quo, think for yourself and think freely. Ask questions about every news story you hear and every idea a politician touts. There is most often spin that you dont pay attention to because you are too busy.
People need sources of news to analyze the world around them because people are just busy living their lives. They dont have the time, will, or desire to dissect a story and think about its angles and the details of its impact on society. But understand that without doing this for yourself, you risk being herded into a prespewed notion about anything. They will cover the sides of the story they want you to hear. You are at the mercy of a system that is not concerned with creating an informed citizenry, but a system concerned with preserving the success of their own interests and the interests of the accomplices in that system.
Questioning the status quo
Free flow of information and substantive debate is the foundation of a democracy. Without an informed populace, democracy is nothing more than an illusion. So it is the role of news media to give us a wide range of opinion and report what the public needs to hear.
When the news media is based on entertainment and gloss to seek a profit motive, we lose most of this valuable discussion. The problem is the profit motive. A corporation is in business to make money, if they gain get favors from the government by pleasing politicians, they will do this. The news media has power like no other industry. They can shape public opinion and influence elections, they have the most powerful role of an industry in the world. The beginnings of the profit driven media were taken with disdain in the 19th century by critics who realized the basic limitations that would limit a free press.
When the corporate media denies the public the in depth and critical political insight that a democracy needs, the press is no longer doing its duty. The first amendment guaranteed the freedom of the press because it was supposed to be the foundation of democracy. Without a critical media based on determined and critical investigative journalism, the powerful institutions in our world have unlimited power over society. They are free to carry on without much worry that their misdeeds will become prominent news and the subject of wide debate. They can bank on the fact that if the news media covers it at all, it will be given little coverage with little substance, even when the implications for society are massive.
Because democracy depends on an open flow of information, we have Freedom of Information Acts in this nation that have been in existance for about 4 decades now. But if you look at the trend of the application and effectiveness of FOIA it reveals some problems. Anyone in the public or an investigative journalist, for example, can request copies of specific (nonclassified) documents to examine. This has allowed many independent journalists to uncover questionable activities of government over the years. Even though the fact that you have to request documents still, in the age of the internet is ludacris, but these "sunshine laws" act as a barrier as well. It can take many months, even years to get the documents. This is suspicious enough, but the precedent set by the recent Bush administration is alarming.
Its well known that this administration has attempted to "strengthen" the executive branch. They are known for disregarding other branches and bodies in government for their own purposes. Such was the case in 2002 when the GAO threatened to sue the White House for failing to respond to FOIA requests for the documents covering meetings of the Vice President's 2001 Energy Task Force. The GAO is the investigative arm of Congress, so it is very understandable that they would want to examine the actions of the Vice President who parted with the majority holdings from his company, Halliburton, shortly before his run for office on the republican ticket in 2000. This situation is highly suspect as it is. Then the White House had this 2001 energy meeting and would not disclose any documents from it by using the "executive privledge." To most people that is a clear case of a cover-up and an abuse of power. Unfortunately the mainstream press doesnt do enough to remind the public of the egregious corruption that such actions imply. Bush also issued an executive order that heavily restricts access to historical presidential records. Here is a link all about this situation with FOIA in this administration: http://foi.missouri.edu/bushinfopolicies/bushthumbsnose.html
Certainly the media is to blame for an ignorant population that is fed sensationalized garbage to boost ratings and profits. They give us official sources that largely represent those who are corrupt. They use proffessional sources to give us the appearence that this journalism is professional, but this amounts to journalism being reduced to mere stenography, absent of the critical analysis and the contextualization needed to make sense of our world. We throw "objective" facts at the public, and so any official source, paid by a PR agency or so called "expert" (no doubt working in the business they are discussing) is allowed to say whatever they want, and they cannot be questioned. Even if all sides of a story are given (which rarely happens), it will be within the bounds of the people in the fight, and therefore honest analysis by an impartial observer is rarely allowed because it is labeled bias by the reporter. It is more bias to give only the statments of perpetrators and except them as unquestionable truths than to pose logical questions about these statements to stimulate honest debate.
It is very disturbing to me that our political culture has deteriorated to this level of brainless nonsense. When you hear the roundtable discussions it is striking how devoid of debate they have become. It consists of a few people on the left and right saying mostly the same things and differing on mindless dribble details. It has so very little substance it has become amusing for me. I sit in awe of how much these talking heads will say, and how much of it SAYS ALMOST NOTHING! Surely the questions the host asks are carefully constructed, but the fact that the range of discussion stay so narrow and so pre-spewed is awe inspiring. They stick to talking points and talking about how this could or might or maybe influence the political image of politician A or politician B, and thats it! There is no doubt that shows like this are meant to influence political culture, and they do, which is why you hear so called "political citizens" among your peer group spewing the same airhead talking points without any substantive thought behind it, but all of this suggests that our politicial culture has become slop in a trough. Our mainstream political culture has become worthless garbage.
As a result of the so called "objectivity" in journalism, society has become so complacent. Our news coverage is almost entirely devoid of substance. We have strayed so far from independent thought; mainstream society only values followers today. Group think and ignorance is all around us. People get labeled un-American if they question our status quo. Society has become so brainwashed that we dont realize that dissent and sparking healthy debate is the most democratic and patriotic activity any American can do. Today we ignore them if they dont fit into what the talking heads and the government are saying about their ideas.
In many ways, we are the greatest country on earth. But that doesn't mean we dont have lots of work to do. We are the leaders of the free world, and so we set the example. We might be the best country on earth, but we have so much work to do if we are truly going to be great.
People today have become boxed in by group think. The government, the media, and the corporations who control them are not interested in change, they want to preserve the status quo. They want people to think in black and white terms about everything, they dont want people to see the shades of grey that exist in everything. Absolute truth rarely exists.
The people who have come to Washington today and have been elected and the massive corporations that have found success under the current system dont want to change this system. They want to help shape the future so that it is similar to the environment they came to power under today. Change is not a goal of the power structure today. But change is inevitable, the old cliche holds: the only things you can count on in life are change, death and taxes.
So because change is constantly expected, the power structure is determined to constantly shape this change to fit their model of success. This is why controlling public opinion is so important. We elect the them. We the people are the backbone of society, we are the workhorses in society, we keep the corporations in business. It is our thoughts that are the most valuable commodity in the world. More accurately, our financial patronage and our votes are the most valuable commodities in the world.
Over the last 50 years America has enjoyed the highest standard of living in history, but the new millennium is bringing change all around us. Serious concerns about the future of energy and globalization leading to outsourcing are concerns that past generations really didnt see like we are today. The work ethic of other nations and the digital age allow the service sector to see their jobs outsourced like the blue collar workers who were replaced by computerized machines years ago. The gap between the rich and the poor has been widening over this period of time as well, and especially within the last 20 years. We cant be complacent or satisfied with the status quo, we have to think about our future.
Politicians are really concerned with preserving the status quo which they have found success under, so are they even thinking about the future?
It seems the answer is no. Politicians are reactionary fools today. They are so caught up in managing the dealings of their corrupted, brainwashing corporatocracy that they only become concerned with important topics after tragedy occurs. And then they point fingers to deflect blame without addressing the causes of these failures, so we are then doomed to see a repeat of the same tragedies.
They are far more concerned with their own intrests and the next election than planning for the future. The social security crises is a prime example. They have dipped into this fund so rampantly for the last 20 years and now they are just starting to think about its future and only slightly. We talked a lot about it before the 2004 elections, and its been pretty silent since that time.
Its funny how they only pretend to care about the common man and our futures when election time comes around.
So with a government that is showing itself as run by greedy, inept, corrupt, brainwashing, and outrageous leaders why would society continue voting for the same people every four years?
People dont think about the power structure that has developed today. They are so busy living their lives, they fail to see past the illusions that are so entrenched in society. People are so busy as mindless consumers they dont see the world around them. They are bombarded by a culture that is now dependent on a mindless population to buy, buy, buy. Become a workaholic and ignore everything around, act as a slave and do what you're told. Work longer hours for the same wages so you can get promoted to the next position on the totem pole. Meanwhile the country has the highest levels of personal debt and the lowest levels of savings in history and it has economists worried about the retirement futures of this generation, especially with the looming social security crises. People are so busy as mindless sheep in their manual task or service driven office job that they forget that we have a duty to ourselves and to future generations as American citizens, we cant squander the legacy of the greatest nation in history.
Today the government and the media has boxed most everyone into black and white thinking, and they dont even realize this. This is why we have this hyperpartisan nonsense which has taken off during the last 20 years and seemingly getting worse everyday. These extremists on both sides are screwing this country as a part of their game for pride and personal interests. The Ted Kennedys of the world on the left and the Rush Limbaughs on the right are doing the greatest disservice to society. It allows people to buy into the charade, with divisive and absent minded partisan opinion leaders like these people.
Most people are moderate. They are not extremists on either side. But you wouldn't know this by listening to these politicians speak who only have the goal of getting re-elected by putting on a giant show. People always debate between the two sides of the same coin. Never mind the gold bars behind the coin that they have covered up. The republicans say its the democrats at fault, and the democrats say its the republicans, well Im here to tell you that argument is a waste of time because its all one party at the top. People that are disillusioned by politics are fooled back into the process every election by the new faces in the party. They think some new politician will come into the fold and change everything. Remember when clinton promised universal healthcare with a card that would work like a credit card, that was never even attempted. People are so caught up in the system that they continually believe the lies because its a new person lying!
The new politicians always make the biggest promises. Young and bold. It reminds me of when I ran for student council for the first time in junior high. I told my 5th grade homeroom class I was going to fight for them to get extra free period and Im not sure what else I said, but I remembering making promises that seemed bold. Then I remember sitting in student council meetings and doing little or nothing, and I never attempted to do anything because I didnt need to, maybe I was just lazy. So I think its the same thing in real politics, fake it till you make it, then sit around doing the bare minimum and then make more promises that you wont fulfill to get elected the next time.
We have a return rate in Washington of about 97-98% in recent years. That means once your in, you are mostly guaranteed your spot until you retire. All you do is keep pretending to fight for a cause that is opposite of the other party, and tell grander lies than your opponent in a more convicing fashion, and you get elected. But then for the most part, once in office, these party leaders dont do anything different worth mentioning. You wouldnt know this by watching cable news every night. Its because the people running these systems dont want people to look up. They want you to become distracted and focus on hyperpartisan nonsense.
Politics today is a giant show. Left wing extremists and right wing extremists make money off it. Extreme-alikes as I call them. Its a job for them, but its become nothing more than a horribly destructive charade for society.
As a result we have a Congress filled with individuals who are interested in taking sides for personal gain. But here is the kicker, it has to be side 1 or side 2 or some degree in between 1 and 2. Side 3 never exists with these people, or at least they wont tell you it exists. This is why news ideas aren't found in Washington very often.
Its not that the individual politicians dont have great things in mind when they decide to pursue a career in politics, its that once they get into the political system they are forced to conform or they wont be elected twice. Every vote they make is monitored, every speech they give is criticized. They have to play the game if they want to keep their jobs. Follow the money. The system has developed naturally, the desire to have money and power and security are very natural human desires and this system has developed as a result. So there is very little they can do to stop it on their own.
The elections are a charade. Our freedom of choice is an illusion. Its the illusion of democracy that keeps them in office. Any form of true democracy vanished long ago and we've been moving full force ahead since then. Politicians are puppets for the power structure. Follow the money. They make decisions based on information generated by people with their financial agenda in mind. Money talks. Presidents today are nothing more than figureheads that go on television and attempt to make us feel better about whatever our policies may be, no matter how short sighted and disastrous they might be. They are there to shape public thought to fit their agenda.
Liebrals versus the Neo-con game.
The corrupt corporate media system has brainwashed Americans into voting for the same corrupt scumbags every 4 years. CBS takes the liberal side, Fox takes the right. Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation (Fox) is the centerpiece of this con game known as conservative thought which has become the centerpiece of brainwashing in society. True conservative thought should be upheld because it has many great ideas, the same way that true liberal thought should be valued because it brings many great ideas. But today all we have are liebrals and neo-cons.
Neo-conservative political thought is designed admittedly trying to preserve the power structure for the small percentage of ultra wealthy elites in society. But most partisan dummycraps dont realize that modern day liberal thought has the same goal, but uses the other side of the same divisive issues to the collect votes. Both wings of the main parties have pumped up this ridiculous partisan behavior to keep us voting for them. They keep their jobs and they keep getting richer, but the country keeps moving towards hell in a hand basket.
This hyperpartisanism and these distractions they flaunt are ruining this country. People end up voting against one party most of the time, instead of voting for a party they want. People may not be satisfied with the party but they choose the lesser of two weasels. Sadly, this is what their corrupt system wants!
They cant prevent society from disdaining them for their horrible leadership, as we should. But they can split us on divisive social issues that wont change no matter which puppet gets elected. They divide and conquer under the guise of a two-party system locked in debate.
What in the hell would the republican right wing be conserving I ask? What the hell is the democratic left wing liberating us from? Nothing! and Nothing! Ultra Liberals Democrats and Ultra Conservative Republicans might as well stop the charade, they are all in it for money and personal gain. They have abandoned the people and democracy. Its become an uber-corrupt corporatocracy.
What exactly are they conserving???
Not our tax dollars, not our constitution, not our property rights, not our privacy laws, not our economy, not our environment, not the small business environment.
What exactly are they liberating us from???
They all take money from companies that pollute the earth like its a toilet. They dont protect civil liberties. They all take their scripted side on the issues they dangle in front of the masses like a parade. Racial issues, abortion, gay marriage, etc. These are all fronts, none of these issues will see new legislation, as they shouldn't!
Elements of true conservative thought has great things going for it in many ways: like cutting taxes and getting the federal government to assume a more limited role in the individual's life, just like true elements of liberal thought have some great ideas in many ways: we need to start worrying about how we are toxifying our environment (its a public health issue) and we need to stop locking people up for using cannabis when they are dying of cancer.
But right now they are all the same, mainstream conformist liars who want you take sides blindly so they can spend more and do whatever they want without you thinking about it.
A major example of the hyperpartisan charade I see today is in the Iraq War. You look at how it began and how its been used to divide the public, and its a perfect excercise in this fake partisanship. The 1998 Iraq Liberation Act was passed by Bill Clinton and a Democract dominated Congress. The idea of overthrowing Saddam was floating in Washington think tanks throughout the 1990's such as the PNAC.
The fact is that the 1998 act isnt being talked in the media about for a huge reason. It reveals corruption and collusion. It proves we were trying to overthrow Saddam when we was not a threat to us in the pre-9/11 days. Everybody with sense knows its not about democracy. Saddam was a threat to his own people, but the US doesn't care about Iraq democracy or the saftey of warring minority factions within Iraq. We proved this when we ignored the brutalities Saddam commited against his own people such as gassing the Kurds in '82. That famous picture with Rumsfeld and Saddam greeting each other for the first time occured in '83. We continued supporting Saddam with humanitarian aid until 1990 when he invaded Kuwait and threatened to invade Saudi Arabia which would have created an oil monopoly, damaging the US economy hugely. So you are really naive to think we care about the Iraq population; we care about US strategic interests.
When I first learned about the 1998 Iraq Liberation Act, it puzzled me that the right wing would ignore that because when Saddam stopped complying with weapons inspections afterwards that would really help their cause. And more importantly, you would think the right wing should want people to know that it was a Democrat dominated government that passed the act to show that there has been longstanding support in both parties to democratize Iraq.
Take a closer look at this mainstream media shutout for this greatly important issue. For the media to acknowledge the 1998 act, it would take away from their hyperpartisan charade. By acknowledging that the desire to capitalize in Iraq has been the plan all along, and that it was wanted by all people in government, it helps reveal that they are all truly one party. Then they cant use this issue to divide and distract us like they always do with controversial issues.
When I first heard that this 1998 act existed I was shocked. Then I learned about what it said and I was shocked. Then I realized nobody talks about it and I was REALLY shocked. Nobody in the media, not one news pundit or news reporter will mention this act is in existance when clearly it has massive historical value in the reasons behind going to war. If this massive mainstream media shutout doesnt tell you that government and media are in bed together and we have a partisan charade running things, nothing will.
Understand that this hyperpartisan fiasco isnt some conspiracy, its a natural set of events that has occurred out the all too human desire to control the success they have found. Like all political movements, each brick builds upon the last. Thats why politicians and presidents as individuals are quite powerless in reality, but they band together on a few divisive issues with a party. But then you realize that alot of this is because its politically convenient, not that none of them believe in what they say, just that they very rarely back it up with meaningful action. It makes you think.
Political scholars recognize what few differences they possess beyond these divisive social issues which many like myself believe are little more than front issues to split us evenly. These extreme-alikes have found a system that works to their personal advantage really well. Its really quite a brilliant system that has emerged in such an organic way. Its not some giant evil conspiracy. Its human nature. Its plain to see, like every human in a big world, they really are mostly concerned with personal gain, i.e. getting re-elected. The backing of their party is essential to getting elected, and these parties are just mobs that represent a much larger power structure in society. Follow the money. If you're ever in doubt about why something is happening, follow the money.
Its not that individual politicians dont have great things in mind when they go into politics as a career, its just that once they get in power, the money ties them down into the same crap. What would happen if some President got into the White House and revealed himself as a man of true Jeffersonian principles?
What if we got a covert major reformer who played their game only to get to the White House to restore some decency to this nation? What if his plan was to cut taxes, end pork spending, overhaul the wasteful and inefficient bureaucracies, restore the constitution they have shat upon, end the hyperpartisan fiasco, restore civil liberties, end the unneeded war machine, end the corrupt corporate rulership over politics, reduce the overbearing role of the federal government? What if? Would this person be assassinated? Die in their sleep of mysterious "natural causes" ....I wonder? These reforms even if proposed in a way where they would be gradually implemented would shake the foundations of the power structure in society. The power struture wouldnt have it. There is way too much money to be lost, way too much power and control over society that they would lose. Too many forces would oppose this reform, every congressmen, massive industry and corporation, maintream corporate media outlet, bureaucracy, etc, would stand to lose money and power. Basically the power structure wouldn't function anymore, and so nobody would allow it, this guy would be killed by making it look like he died of natural or accidental causes. I honestly believe that. Society would be turned upside down if these reforms were implemented all at once. This guy would have to go. You have to think that the Kennedy assassination is in the mind of every President. How could your life not concern you?
Kennedy was a reformer. He ran on the platform to reform race relations in America. Eisenhower was unsympathetic to the civil rights movement. He was the successor and the President who wanted to change this as he stated in the 1960 election. He was killed probably partly because of this. As historical record notes, Congress passed the Civil Rights Acts in the year or two after his death as a tribute to his legacy. They felt they owed him.
Today, any reform minded candidate would be weary. I wonder myself if this is part of the reason that the neoconservative movement began in the 1960's and society has become so misguided since. Are we being governed by politicians who are too scared to institute massive, but necessary reforms? I ponder this question. This may be farfetched, but how could your life not influence your decisions, that event has to emblazoned in the generation of today's politicians.
Whether its fear to reform the system, or that the corruption only attracts the corrupt and dishonest, politics today is total sham. We pay them to lie to us and screw us more everyday. These corrupt elected officials dont do anything to plan ahead. They lead us blindly into the future. They dont lead today, they only react. This government is a sham, they are working for the corporations and they fool cable news viewers and average citizens into thinking its a democracy with our interests in mind. They are reactionary fools who dont lead and only pass legislation if it helps the big corporations who get them elected and pad their pocketbooks.
If you are one of the tens of millions who have decided not vote because its so corrupt that you cant bear to do it anymore, then vote for a third party. By voting for other parties you weaken their support, and hopefully spur change in the political norms of today. We have to try. Its better than being one of the countless drones who vote for their broken system or one of those who have been discouraged from voting at all by their outrageous levels of ineptitude and corruption. Out of principle, it is sad if you become a numbered tool of their corrupt system. Remember that our votes are the most valuable commodity in the world. (Knowing this, it makes you wonder if you can trust electronic voting. Not that we ever knew for sure that our votes were being counted, but now with the digital age it will be 10 times easier to rig a ballot. Will our future be scripted, literally?)
Corruption in government is a fact of life. Its found in all levels of government and in different government entities to varying degrees. Close-minded people like to label any form of corruption as a wild conspiracy, when clearly most normal people today realize that government is fairly corrupt and that abuse of power in the pursuit of wealth, power, and security is a fairly natural occurance among humans.
Corruption in my view is a very natural action, and there is little a society can do to stop power abuse in government short of a full scale revolt. The colonialists in the 17th century broke away from the crown because they felt their government was abusing the natural rights of people and therefore abusing power. They wanted to establish government by the people and for the people. And the founding fathers realized what a daunting task they had created for society. They wrote massivly on the difficulty of sustaining an honest government. Human nature allows temptation to get the better of people, its human nature to abuse power, to take bribes or do whatever benefits you first while ignoring the well-being of others. The founding fathers understood this fact of life very well. I write this not to depress the reader, but to inspire the reader with hope for change with perspective.
You dont wake up one day and realize this government and the corporate media is screwing us over a barrel.... someone has to inform you and then you have to think about it for yourself and form your own viewpoint. So I am not directing my outrage at the mindless drones of the public, I am angry at the whole damn system, not the average voter. Most people are super busy and just live their lives oblivious as I once did. Naturally they expect their sources of news and their government not to lie to them all the time, but this is what they're doing. Its not easy to resist the impact of the corporate media, because so much of what they report to us is distracting or purely innocuous crap. They distract us by ignoring the issues they choose to ignore. The government does the same thing; they are distracting us with their lies and with their selfish partisan show. The media and the government are both using each other to form this enormous control over society. Do your best to question everything you hear from these self-interested forces and pull the wool off your eyes.
I hope you can take what you read here and spread the word that change is possible, but only if you spread the word. Power structures will always have the tendancy to become corrupt, but it is the duty of the citizens to keep that corruption in check, and thus information by a diverse and free flowing media system is essential to our democracy. If you love this country and you care about our future, and the future of our world, then you must realize the importance of the media reform issue.
Note-worthy links:
Center for Public Integrity
http://www.publicintegrity.org/
FAIR-Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting
http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=101
Mediachannel.org
http://www.mediachannel.org/atissue/mediapolitics/
Columbia Journal Review- Who Owns What
http://cjr.org/tools/owners/index.asp
What you will read here may be mind blowing. If you want to stay ignorant and blissful, I suggest you stop reading now. If you want to be more informed and sobered, continue reading because you wont hear this in the mainstream media.
When you ask yourself if you feel influenced by the media you might say "no." If you watch television you may not think that the media influences you in particular. Even if you dont tune in to a favorite cable news program nightly and soak up their ideas, their influence is at the very least subliminal. Most people dont realize their impact. They shape the entire cultural around us, politically, socially, our whole world is seen, shared, and changed with according to their influence. Most of all, they are instrumental in constructing the dominant political thought in this nation.
This handful of major media corporations are slaves to their business interests. These corporations have stakes (through financing in investments, or being dependent on industries who advertise on their stations) in almost every sector and they are not just aiming to get you to buy their products and services. They aren't just influencing your spending patterns. The mainstream media forms and shapes public opinion and social thought. Television has the biggest impact on the masses, and it is owned by the five media behemoths with their hands in so many media sectors its startingly. Time Warner (CNN) , Viacom (CBS) , General Electric (NBC/MSNBC) , News Corporation (FOX) , and even sweet old Disney (ABC) is involved. Besides the obvious holdings in non-media sectors, here are the major media sectors they dominate: basic television, cable television , internet, radio, publishing, and telephony. Other media would include music labels, magazines, and movie studios.
The news media are often referred to as the fourth branch of government. They set the public agenda as much as government, if not more so. The basic principle of journalism is to report objectively. Although this is rarely the case, its not that the media will automatically tell you how to think. Its that they tell you what to think about, which is equally dangerous. They decide what is important enough for the masses to be concerned with. If they dont report it, the masses wont think much of anything about it.
Unfortunately their agenda is steeped in a profit motive. We must remember, that above all, these are massive corporations with a bottom line. They make their much of their revenue from corporate advertisers. They want more money for the owners (the majority owners who are the majority stockholders of their company and their affiliated corporations), and they want to push social opinion that is congruent with these goals. Unfortunately corporate greed and public thought can be conflicting, so they manage this by reporting what they want and in the exact way they want.
Its notable to recognize the many media mergers and conglomerations that have taken place in the last 20 years and especially within the last 5 to 10 years with the ever increasing corporate cronyism in Washington. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 was a prime example of a policy cloaked in providing better telephone, internet and other services but really only served to squash competition and allow major mergers to occur that has caused a monopoly in most markets. Consumers Union (non-profit publisher of Consumer Reports) stated in 2003 that 95% of consumers have one cable provider in their market and the 5% with a choice had on average 17% lower cable rates. Cable costs have been vastly outpacing inflation in the last 10 years. More marketshare and power over an industry so heavily regulated already means they are able to charge higher prices for their services.
I have to wonder if the cable price hikes arent being mentioned by media because of a larger motive, even beyond profits. A motive that is part of their brainwashing duty as expected by the ruling politicians. I wonder if its because most companies want to shut out the poorest consumers from getting their advertisements and their filler (the actual TV programming). It’s a profit motive surely. Is it because they want to show advertisers that they get results by exluding more low income people by pricing it higher? Sure. But more importantly, raising prices certainly allows them to influence a wealthier part of the citizenry. So the 24-hour, spin job, news pundits can influence the middle class and upper income voters proportionately more, since these are the people who vote the most and watch politics the most. These learned sounding people are put on television talk so much and say so little. Its frightful manipulation of thought to make people feel like they are being informed but they are getting a few talking points with little or no critical analysis. Its an interesting thought, pretend to teach the most to those who are seeking to examine the most.
Sure CNN with its Time Warner Cable wouldn’t pipe up about the cable rate hikes because they are cable providers, not Fox News because owning Direct TV satellite allows them to rake profits by being able to charge a little more since their dominating competitors are charging more, not Disney (ABC) or Viacom (CBS) since they are beneficiaries of corrupt telecom laws with radio back in 1996, so they aren't going to talk about the results of 1996 Act in its corrupt favors for other media sectors, since they benefited hugely from that act and shedding light on this telecommunications corruption would only damage their future to remain with those benefits. But what about General Electric (NBC/MSNBC), why not talk about it? Do they plan to own cable systems in the future? Perhaps they are such a massive company it seems plausible, or maybe they don’t want to shed light on the lack of government leadership and cozy government ties with the media industries because they are a part of the media.
Why does the corporate media have such a close relationship with the government?
Simple. Its a mutually beneficial relationship. Its not a giant conspiracy between the government and the media. Its a natural set of events based primarily on financial motives. Corporations want to be profitable. Government leaders want to be re-elected for their own financial reasons.
In order to get re-elected, politicians want their stated positions and opinions in the public consciousness and they dont want the masses to disapprove of these views. The corporations who run the media and the corporations they depend upon for advertising want favors from the government to become more profitable. Media companies and companies in all industries want legislation which is favorable to their interests; they want their pet legislation. And sometimes industries can even get their no-bid contracts for government sponsored activities. As a result, these massive media corporations report favorable news about them and their advertisers and spin unfavorable news to help their interests and the government when this news comes about.
How does the other half of the system work?
Corporations pay government officials large amounts of money in campaign donations. These dollars are spent on political advertising. This is what determines who can get elected and who will not. This is called the campaign finance system; its our legal form of bribery.
Political scholars have been vocal about the threat this represents to democracy since it really began in the 70's. It took off during the 80's and for the last fifteen years political scholars have been telling people what an enormous threat this has become to our democracy. Only the most wealthy industries, corporations, and special interests can influence government. Its undemocratic, its corrupt, its bribery, and its why our nation has become a corporatocracy. When in doubt, follow the money.
Every piece of legislation has the ability to hurt or help an industry or a corporation. Almost every single law has hundreds if not thousands of appropriation bills attached to them. Politicians tell you themselves that they dont have the time or desire to read through these. They read the basic legislation and they choose whether or not they want to vote on it. Thats how most of the pet legislation and crony-fied pork barrel spending gets passed. They sneak in these little attachments to larger pieces of legislation that literally almost nobody in Congress but the authoring legislator(s) will actually read.
The pet legislation is pushed into the laws and brokered through lobbyists. This is the term that originally was used to describe the people who congregated in the halls or lobbies of Congress. Today lobbyists are the people that are paid by these corporations and special interests in order to influence political legislation by meeting in private with elected officials. They take them to dinners and meet them at banquets and discuss the possibility of getting different pet legislation introduced into law.
Most often these corporations hire former Washington insiders to do the lobbying. These are most often former Senators, House Reps, sometimes state officials like governors, or family members and friends of politicians. This is in the hopes that these people will be able to use their political experience and personal relationships with politicians to influence legislation in their favor. These people can easily make a half million dollars per year going to dinners with Congressmen and discussing legislation.
Ask yourself, how many laws have been passed to line the pockets of the small percentage of the elite, the majority corporate owners, in the last 20 years? How many laws have actually been passed to help the pocketbook of the other 99.9% in the last 20 years? Unfortunately corporate greed and good public policy rarely fit together. It seems like Congress always makes sure they have a pay raise and their business interests are well taken care of, but rarely do they show care for the average man's paycheck unless it starts showing signs of damaging their own interests and perhaps the economy at large.
The government has become addicted to the money that keeps them in office. They have become addicted to the power they wield over industry. They sit on corporate boards in their stints between public service or they have family members who sit on corporate boards while they are in office. Take Lynne Cheney, the Vice President's wife, who has been vocally unapologetic about sitting on the corporate board of Lockheed Martin, the major defense contractor that won the contract to build fighter jets for the military over Boeing a couple years ago while her husband has been in office.
The mainstream media is owned by a few massive corporations that own many subsidiary corporations. Companies that advertise on their stations represent a great portion of their revenue, and thus they must protect their interests as well. All of this represents a giant power structure that most people dont realize is impacting their daily lives.
What could be done?
There is no easy and sweet sounding answer, other than that we need to get rid of the abuse of the for-profit news business. Revoke the public broadcasting frequency licenses of the wrongdoers and therefore correct the major flaw in our political system. People will say, "oh what about the poor broadcasters and their rich ass shareholders." I say screw them, they own so many non-news reporting media channels that they will do just fine. If you look at what they own besides the news channels you realize its not a big deal. GE, Viacom, Disney, News Corporation, and Time Warner have plenty of holdings... so they can cry all they want, but their corrupt reign over public property is then finished. They wouldnt even exist in the size they are at if they hadn't been given these rights and then systematically and increasingly abused the public trust for profits.
We allow the broadcasters to take their fake news to private broadcasting via cable where it belongs and we give the public broadcasting licenses to the non-for profit media. So all the free news reporting channels of today on the radio and television will be for non profit news agencies. In a system with competing free media, these info-tainment sources will seek their proper levels of influence in society. People will realize who these news sources truly represent, people who are trying to make a profit.
We need to pass a Democratic News Media Act that mandates a subsidized system of news agencies to set up a system for a news media that is promoting democracy and isn't held back by the desire to play nice with government corruption to get favorable legislation. We pass a law that gives a set number of broadcasters an equal amount of money adjusted for inflation on a yearly basis. They can give us debate and news without worrying about the glitz and ADD-like debating that they give us today in the quest for higher ratings and therefore higher profits from ad revenues. Today we have a media system that promotes a shamocracy, a plutocracy, an oligarchy, corporatocracy, mediocracy, joke of a system of self governance. When the citizens are uninformed, and politicians can hide corruption and manipulate thought with the assistance of a media they are cozy with, we dont have a true democracy by the people for the people. We have a system by the brainwashed for the brainwashed.
I am firmly anti-taxation. I think we are far overtaxed, and we need to cut the pork legislation and wasteful government spending that is hampering our economy, so realize that the proposal for a subsidized media system would be funded not by increasing taxes, but by eliminating so many of the insane expenditures that we have today.
After a media without profit motives is in place, we need to pass the legislation that ends the need for legal bribery, or as they slyly and benignly term it "campaign finance." We should probably ban all forms of political advertising in general, but if not that, we mandate free airtime for political candidates rather than forcing them to hoarde money from every lobbying wealthy interest which is allowing a system of governance where only the wealthy can run, and only the wealthy can influence legislation.
It is in fact entirely legal to require broadcasters to air a reasonable amount of political advertisments since the legal bribe system is the antithesis of the public interest. The broadcasters are given specific monopoly licenses over specific airwave frequencies so they can make profit of public property, but only while maintaining the public interest, that is the catch. The legal bribe scheme is the most anti-democratic emergence in our nations history, and it is necessary to stop it.
Today however, the media industry itself is the greatest beneficiary of the bribe system. Not only do they participate in the bribe system heavily, as they represent top campaign contributors, but they are the ones who get paid to run the political advertisments. They reap the benefits of the legal bribe system in every way since they are profit entities that run commercials to make profits. If we had a subsidized news media that was non-for-profit we would not have this problem. But good luck getting this idea into today's commercial media.
So if the government and the corporate mainstream media is corrupt, who can you trust?
Trust yourself. Never cease questioning the status quo, think for yourself and think freely. Ask questions about every news story you hear and every idea a politician touts. There is most often spin that you dont pay attention to because you are too busy.
People need sources of news to analyze the world around them because people are just busy living their lives. They dont have the time, will, or desire to dissect a story and think about its angles and the details of its impact on society. But understand that without doing this for yourself, you risk being herded into a prespewed notion about anything. They will cover the sides of the story they want you to hear. You are at the mercy of a system that is not concerned with creating an informed citizenry, but a system concerned with preserving the success of their own interests and the interests of the accomplices in that system.
Questioning the status quo
Free flow of information and substantive debate is the foundation of a democracy. Without an informed populace, democracy is nothing more than an illusion. So it is the role of news media to give us a wide range of opinion and report what the public needs to hear.
When the news media is based on entertainment and gloss to seek a profit motive, we lose most of this valuable discussion. The problem is the profit motive. A corporation is in business to make money, if they gain get favors from the government by pleasing politicians, they will do this. The news media has power like no other industry. They can shape public opinion and influence elections, they have the most powerful role of an industry in the world. The beginnings of the profit driven media were taken with disdain in the 19th century by critics who realized the basic limitations that would limit a free press.
When the corporate media denies the public the in depth and critical political insight that a democracy needs, the press is no longer doing its duty. The first amendment guaranteed the freedom of the press because it was supposed to be the foundation of democracy. Without a critical media based on determined and critical investigative journalism, the powerful institutions in our world have unlimited power over society. They are free to carry on without much worry that their misdeeds will become prominent news and the subject of wide debate. They can bank on the fact that if the news media covers it at all, it will be given little coverage with little substance, even when the implications for society are massive.
Because democracy depends on an open flow of information, we have Freedom of Information Acts in this nation that have been in existance for about 4 decades now. But if you look at the trend of the application and effectiveness of FOIA it reveals some problems. Anyone in the public or an investigative journalist, for example, can request copies of specific (nonclassified) documents to examine. This has allowed many independent journalists to uncover questionable activities of government over the years. Even though the fact that you have to request documents still, in the age of the internet is ludacris, but these "sunshine laws" act as a barrier as well. It can take many months, even years to get the documents. This is suspicious enough, but the precedent set by the recent Bush administration is alarming.
Its well known that this administration has attempted to "strengthen" the executive branch. They are known for disregarding other branches and bodies in government for their own purposes. Such was the case in 2002 when the GAO threatened to sue the White House for failing to respond to FOIA requests for the documents covering meetings of the Vice President's 2001 Energy Task Force. The GAO is the investigative arm of Congress, so it is very understandable that they would want to examine the actions of the Vice President who parted with the majority holdings from his company, Halliburton, shortly before his run for office on the republican ticket in 2000. This situation is highly suspect as it is. Then the White House had this 2001 energy meeting and would not disclose any documents from it by using the "executive privledge." To most people that is a clear case of a cover-up and an abuse of power. Unfortunately the mainstream press doesnt do enough to remind the public of the egregious corruption that such actions imply. Bush also issued an executive order that heavily restricts access to historical presidential records. Here is a link all about this situation with FOIA in this administration: http://foi.missouri.edu/bushinfopolicies/bushthumbsnose.html
Certainly the media is to blame for an ignorant population that is fed sensationalized garbage to boost ratings and profits. They give us official sources that largely represent those who are corrupt. They use proffessional sources to give us the appearence that this journalism is professional, but this amounts to journalism being reduced to mere stenography, absent of the critical analysis and the contextualization needed to make sense of our world. We throw "objective" facts at the public, and so any official source, paid by a PR agency or so called "expert" (no doubt working in the business they are discussing) is allowed to say whatever they want, and they cannot be questioned. Even if all sides of a story are given (which rarely happens), it will be within the bounds of the people in the fight, and therefore honest analysis by an impartial observer is rarely allowed because it is labeled bias by the reporter. It is more bias to give only the statments of perpetrators and except them as unquestionable truths than to pose logical questions about these statements to stimulate honest debate.
It is very disturbing to me that our political culture has deteriorated to this level of brainless nonsense. When you hear the roundtable discussions it is striking how devoid of debate they have become. It consists of a few people on the left and right saying mostly the same things and differing on mindless dribble details. It has so very little substance it has become amusing for me. I sit in awe of how much these talking heads will say, and how much of it SAYS ALMOST NOTHING! Surely the questions the host asks are carefully constructed, but the fact that the range of discussion stay so narrow and so pre-spewed is awe inspiring. They stick to talking points and talking about how this could or might or maybe influence the political image of politician A or politician B, and thats it! There is no doubt that shows like this are meant to influence political culture, and they do, which is why you hear so called "political citizens" among your peer group spewing the same airhead talking points without any substantive thought behind it, but all of this suggests that our politicial culture has become slop in a trough. Our mainstream political culture has become worthless garbage.
As a result of the so called "objectivity" in journalism, society has become so complacent. Our news coverage is almost entirely devoid of substance. We have strayed so far from independent thought; mainstream society only values followers today. Group think and ignorance is all around us. People get labeled un-American if they question our status quo. Society has become so brainwashed that we dont realize that dissent and sparking healthy debate is the most democratic and patriotic activity any American can do. Today we ignore them if they dont fit into what the talking heads and the government are saying about their ideas.
In many ways, we are the greatest country on earth. But that doesn't mean we dont have lots of work to do. We are the leaders of the free world, and so we set the example. We might be the best country on earth, but we have so much work to do if we are truly going to be great.
People today have become boxed in by group think. The government, the media, and the corporations who control them are not interested in change, they want to preserve the status quo. They want people to think in black and white terms about everything, they dont want people to see the shades of grey that exist in everything. Absolute truth rarely exists.
The people who have come to Washington today and have been elected and the massive corporations that have found success under the current system dont want to change this system. They want to help shape the future so that it is similar to the environment they came to power under today. Change is not a goal of the power structure today. But change is inevitable, the old cliche holds: the only things you can count on in life are change, death and taxes.
So because change is constantly expected, the power structure is determined to constantly shape this change to fit their model of success. This is why controlling public opinion is so important. We elect the them. We the people are the backbone of society, we are the workhorses in society, we keep the corporations in business. It is our thoughts that are the most valuable commodity in the world. More accurately, our financial patronage and our votes are the most valuable commodities in the world.
Over the last 50 years America has enjoyed the highest standard of living in history, but the new millennium is bringing change all around us. Serious concerns about the future of energy and globalization leading to outsourcing are concerns that past generations really didnt see like we are today. The work ethic of other nations and the digital age allow the service sector to see their jobs outsourced like the blue collar workers who were replaced by computerized machines years ago. The gap between the rich and the poor has been widening over this period of time as well, and especially within the last 20 years. We cant be complacent or satisfied with the status quo, we have to think about our future.
Politicians are really concerned with preserving the status quo which they have found success under, so are they even thinking about the future?
It seems the answer is no. Politicians are reactionary fools today. They are so caught up in managing the dealings of their corrupted, brainwashing corporatocracy that they only become concerned with important topics after tragedy occurs. And then they point fingers to deflect blame without addressing the causes of these failures, so we are then doomed to see a repeat of the same tragedies.
They are far more concerned with their own intrests and the next election than planning for the future. The social security crises is a prime example. They have dipped into this fund so rampantly for the last 20 years and now they are just starting to think about its future and only slightly. We talked a lot about it before the 2004 elections, and its been pretty silent since that time.
Its funny how they only pretend to care about the common man and our futures when election time comes around.
So with a government that is showing itself as run by greedy, inept, corrupt, brainwashing, and outrageous leaders why would society continue voting for the same people every four years?
People dont think about the power structure that has developed today. They are so busy living their lives, they fail to see past the illusions that are so entrenched in society. People are so busy as mindless consumers they dont see the world around them. They are bombarded by a culture that is now dependent on a mindless population to buy, buy, buy. Become a workaholic and ignore everything around, act as a slave and do what you're told. Work longer hours for the same wages so you can get promoted to the next position on the totem pole. Meanwhile the country has the highest levels of personal debt and the lowest levels of savings in history and it has economists worried about the retirement futures of this generation, especially with the looming social security crises. People are so busy as mindless sheep in their manual task or service driven office job that they forget that we have a duty to ourselves and to future generations as American citizens, we cant squander the legacy of the greatest nation in history.
Today the government and the media has boxed most everyone into black and white thinking, and they dont even realize this. This is why we have this hyperpartisan nonsense which has taken off during the last 20 years and seemingly getting worse everyday. These extremists on both sides are screwing this country as a part of their game for pride and personal interests. The Ted Kennedys of the world on the left and the Rush Limbaughs on the right are doing the greatest disservice to society. It allows people to buy into the charade, with divisive and absent minded partisan opinion leaders like these people.
Most people are moderate. They are not extremists on either side. But you wouldn't know this by listening to these politicians speak who only have the goal of getting re-elected by putting on a giant show. People always debate between the two sides of the same coin. Never mind the gold bars behind the coin that they have covered up. The republicans say its the democrats at fault, and the democrats say its the republicans, well Im here to tell you that argument is a waste of time because its all one party at the top. People that are disillusioned by politics are fooled back into the process every election by the new faces in the party. They think some new politician will come into the fold and change everything. Remember when clinton promised universal healthcare with a card that would work like a credit card, that was never even attempted. People are so caught up in the system that they continually believe the lies because its a new person lying!
The new politicians always make the biggest promises. Young and bold. It reminds me of when I ran for student council for the first time in junior high. I told my 5th grade homeroom class I was going to fight for them to get extra free period and Im not sure what else I said, but I remembering making promises that seemed bold. Then I remember sitting in student council meetings and doing little or nothing, and I never attempted to do anything because I didnt need to, maybe I was just lazy. So I think its the same thing in real politics, fake it till you make it, then sit around doing the bare minimum and then make more promises that you wont fulfill to get elected the next time.
We have a return rate in Washington of about 97-98% in recent years. That means once your in, you are mostly guaranteed your spot until you retire. All you do is keep pretending to fight for a cause that is opposite of the other party, and tell grander lies than your opponent in a more convicing fashion, and you get elected. But then for the most part, once in office, these party leaders dont do anything different worth mentioning. You wouldnt know this by watching cable news every night. Its because the people running these systems dont want people to look up. They want you to become distracted and focus on hyperpartisan nonsense.
Politics today is a giant show. Left wing extremists and right wing extremists make money off it. Extreme-alikes as I call them. Its a job for them, but its become nothing more than a horribly destructive charade for society.
As a result we have a Congress filled with individuals who are interested in taking sides for personal gain. But here is the kicker, it has to be side 1 or side 2 or some degree in between 1 and 2. Side 3 never exists with these people, or at least they wont tell you it exists. This is why news ideas aren't found in Washington very often.
Its not that the individual politicians dont have great things in mind when they decide to pursue a career in politics, its that once they get into the political system they are forced to conform or they wont be elected twice. Every vote they make is monitored, every speech they give is criticized. They have to play the game if they want to keep their jobs. Follow the money. The system has developed naturally, the desire to have money and power and security are very natural human desires and this system has developed as a result. So there is very little they can do to stop it on their own.
The elections are a charade. Our freedom of choice is an illusion. Its the illusion of democracy that keeps them in office. Any form of true democracy vanished long ago and we've been moving full force ahead since then. Politicians are puppets for the power structure. Follow the money. They make decisions based on information generated by people with their financial agenda in mind. Money talks. Presidents today are nothing more than figureheads that go on television and attempt to make us feel better about whatever our policies may be, no matter how short sighted and disastrous they might be. They are there to shape public thought to fit their agenda.
Liebrals versus the Neo-con game.
The corrupt corporate media system has brainwashed Americans into voting for the same corrupt scumbags every 4 years. CBS takes the liberal side, Fox takes the right. Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation (Fox) is the centerpiece of this con game known as conservative thought which has become the centerpiece of brainwashing in society. True conservative thought should be upheld because it has many great ideas, the same way that true liberal thought should be valued because it brings many great ideas. But today all we have are liebrals and neo-cons.
Neo-conservative political thought is designed admittedly trying to preserve the power structure for the small percentage of ultra wealthy elites in society. But most partisan dummycraps dont realize that modern day liberal thought has the same goal, but uses the other side of the same divisive issues to the collect votes. Both wings of the main parties have pumped up this ridiculous partisan behavior to keep us voting for them. They keep their jobs and they keep getting richer, but the country keeps moving towards hell in a hand basket.
This hyperpartisanism and these distractions they flaunt are ruining this country. People end up voting against one party most of the time, instead of voting for a party they want. People may not be satisfied with the party but they choose the lesser of two weasels. Sadly, this is what their corrupt system wants!
They cant prevent society from disdaining them for their horrible leadership, as we should. But they can split us on divisive social issues that wont change no matter which puppet gets elected. They divide and conquer under the guise of a two-party system locked in debate.
What in the hell would the republican right wing be conserving I ask? What the hell is the democratic left wing liberating us from? Nothing! and Nothing! Ultra Liberals Democrats and Ultra Conservative Republicans might as well stop the charade, they are all in it for money and personal gain. They have abandoned the people and democracy. Its become an uber-corrupt corporatocracy.
What exactly are they conserving???
Not our tax dollars, not our constitution, not our property rights, not our privacy laws, not our economy, not our environment, not the small business environment.
What exactly are they liberating us from???
They all take money from companies that pollute the earth like its a toilet. They dont protect civil liberties. They all take their scripted side on the issues they dangle in front of the masses like a parade. Racial issues, abortion, gay marriage, etc. These are all fronts, none of these issues will see new legislation, as they shouldn't!
Elements of true conservative thought has great things going for it in many ways: like cutting taxes and getting the federal government to assume a more limited role in the individual's life, just like true elements of liberal thought have some great ideas in many ways: we need to start worrying about how we are toxifying our environment (its a public health issue) and we need to stop locking people up for using cannabis when they are dying of cancer.
But right now they are all the same, mainstream conformist liars who want you take sides blindly so they can spend more and do whatever they want without you thinking about it.
A major example of the hyperpartisan charade I see today is in the Iraq War. You look at how it began and how its been used to divide the public, and its a perfect excercise in this fake partisanship. The 1998 Iraq Liberation Act was passed by Bill Clinton and a Democract dominated Congress. The idea of overthrowing Saddam was floating in Washington think tanks throughout the 1990's such as the PNAC.
The fact is that the 1998 act isnt being talked in the media about for a huge reason. It reveals corruption and collusion. It proves we were trying to overthrow Saddam when we was not a threat to us in the pre-9/11 days. Everybody with sense knows its not about democracy. Saddam was a threat to his own people, but the US doesn't care about Iraq democracy or the saftey of warring minority factions within Iraq. We proved this when we ignored the brutalities Saddam commited against his own people such as gassing the Kurds in '82. That famous picture with Rumsfeld and Saddam greeting each other for the first time occured in '83. We continued supporting Saddam with humanitarian aid until 1990 when he invaded Kuwait and threatened to invade Saudi Arabia which would have created an oil monopoly, damaging the US economy hugely. So you are really naive to think we care about the Iraq population; we care about US strategic interests.
When I first learned about the 1998 Iraq Liberation Act, it puzzled me that the right wing would ignore that because when Saddam stopped complying with weapons inspections afterwards that would really help their cause. And more importantly, you would think the right wing should want people to know that it was a Democrat dominated government that passed the act to show that there has been longstanding support in both parties to democratize Iraq.
Take a closer look at this mainstream media shutout for this greatly important issue. For the media to acknowledge the 1998 act, it would take away from their hyperpartisan charade. By acknowledging that the desire to capitalize in Iraq has been the plan all along, and that it was wanted by all people in government, it helps reveal that they are all truly one party. Then they cant use this issue to divide and distract us like they always do with controversial issues.
When I first heard that this 1998 act existed I was shocked. Then I learned about what it said and I was shocked. Then I realized nobody talks about it and I was REALLY shocked. Nobody in the media, not one news pundit or news reporter will mention this act is in existance when clearly it has massive historical value in the reasons behind going to war. If this massive mainstream media shutout doesnt tell you that government and media are in bed together and we have a partisan charade running things, nothing will.
Understand that this hyperpartisan fiasco isnt some conspiracy, its a natural set of events that has occurred out the all too human desire to control the success they have found. Like all political movements, each brick builds upon the last. Thats why politicians and presidents as individuals are quite powerless in reality, but they band together on a few divisive issues with a party. But then you realize that alot of this is because its politically convenient, not that none of them believe in what they say, just that they very rarely back it up with meaningful action. It makes you think.
Political scholars recognize what few differences they possess beyond these divisive social issues which many like myself believe are little more than front issues to split us evenly. These extreme-alikes have found a system that works to their personal advantage really well. Its really quite a brilliant system that has emerged in such an organic way. Its not some giant evil conspiracy. Its human nature. Its plain to see, like every human in a big world, they really are mostly concerned with personal gain, i.e. getting re-elected. The backing of their party is essential to getting elected, and these parties are just mobs that represent a much larger power structure in society. Follow the money. If you're ever in doubt about why something is happening, follow the money.
Its not that individual politicians dont have great things in mind when they go into politics as a career, its just that once they get in power, the money ties them down into the same crap. What would happen if some President got into the White House and revealed himself as a man of true Jeffersonian principles?
What if we got a covert major reformer who played their game only to get to the White House to restore some decency to this nation? What if his plan was to cut taxes, end pork spending, overhaul the wasteful and inefficient bureaucracies, restore the constitution they have shat upon, end the hyperpartisan fiasco, restore civil liberties, end the unneeded war machine, end the corrupt corporate rulership over politics, reduce the overbearing role of the federal government? What if? Would this person be assassinated? Die in their sleep of mysterious "natural causes" ....I wonder? These reforms even if proposed in a way where they would be gradually implemented would shake the foundations of the power structure in society. The power struture wouldnt have it. There is way too much money to be lost, way too much power and control over society that they would lose. Too many forces would oppose this reform, every congressmen, massive industry and corporation, maintream corporate media outlet, bureaucracy, etc, would stand to lose money and power. Basically the power structure wouldn't function anymore, and so nobody would allow it, this guy would be killed by making it look like he died of natural or accidental causes. I honestly believe that. Society would be turned upside down if these reforms were implemented all at once. This guy would have to go. You have to think that the Kennedy assassination is in the mind of every President. How could your life not concern you?
Kennedy was a reformer. He ran on the platform to reform race relations in America. Eisenhower was unsympathetic to the civil rights movement. He was the successor and the President who wanted to change this as he stated in the 1960 election. He was killed probably partly because of this. As historical record notes, Congress passed the Civil Rights Acts in the year or two after his death as a tribute to his legacy. They felt they owed him.
Today, any reform minded candidate would be weary. I wonder myself if this is part of the reason that the neoconservative movement began in the 1960's and society has become so misguided since. Are we being governed by politicians who are too scared to institute massive, but necessary reforms? I ponder this question. This may be farfetched, but how could your life not influence your decisions, that event has to emblazoned in the generation of today's politicians.
Whether its fear to reform the system, or that the corruption only attracts the corrupt and dishonest, politics today is total sham. We pay them to lie to us and screw us more everyday. These corrupt elected officials dont do anything to plan ahead. They lead us blindly into the future. They dont lead today, they only react. This government is a sham, they are working for the corporations and they fool cable news viewers and average citizens into thinking its a democracy with our interests in mind. They are reactionary fools who dont lead and only pass legislation if it helps the big corporations who get them elected and pad their pocketbooks.
If you are one of the tens of millions who have decided not vote because its so corrupt that you cant bear to do it anymore, then vote for a third party. By voting for other parties you weaken their support, and hopefully spur change in the political norms of today. We have to try. Its better than being one of the countless drones who vote for their broken system or one of those who have been discouraged from voting at all by their outrageous levels of ineptitude and corruption. Out of principle, it is sad if you become a numbered tool of their corrupt system. Remember that our votes are the most valuable commodity in the world. (Knowing this, it makes you wonder if you can trust electronic voting. Not that we ever knew for sure that our votes were being counted, but now with the digital age it will be 10 times easier to rig a ballot. Will our future be scripted, literally?)
Corruption in government is a fact of life. Its found in all levels of government and in different government entities to varying degrees. Close-minded people like to label any form of corruption as a wild conspiracy, when clearly most normal people today realize that government is fairly corrupt and that abuse of power in the pursuit of wealth, power, and security is a fairly natural occurance among humans.
Corruption in my view is a very natural action, and there is little a society can do to stop power abuse in government short of a full scale revolt. The colonialists in the 17th century broke away from the crown because they felt their government was abusing the natural rights of people and therefore abusing power. They wanted to establish government by the people and for the people. And the founding fathers realized what a daunting task they had created for society. They wrote massivly on the difficulty of sustaining an honest government. Human nature allows temptation to get the better of people, its human nature to abuse power, to take bribes or do whatever benefits you first while ignoring the well-being of others. The founding fathers understood this fact of life very well. I write this not to depress the reader, but to inspire the reader with hope for change with perspective.
You dont wake up one day and realize this government and the corporate media is screwing us over a barrel.... someone has to inform you and then you have to think about it for yourself and form your own viewpoint. So I am not directing my outrage at the mindless drones of the public, I am angry at the whole damn system, not the average voter. Most people are super busy and just live their lives oblivious as I once did. Naturally they expect their sources of news and their government not to lie to them all the time, but this is what they're doing. Its not easy to resist the impact of the corporate media, because so much of what they report to us is distracting or purely innocuous crap. They distract us by ignoring the issues they choose to ignore. The government does the same thing; they are distracting us with their lies and with their selfish partisan show. The media and the government are both using each other to form this enormous control over society. Do your best to question everything you hear from these self-interested forces and pull the wool off your eyes.
I hope you can take what you read here and spread the word that change is possible, but only if you spread the word. Power structures will always have the tendancy to become corrupt, but it is the duty of the citizens to keep that corruption in check, and thus information by a diverse and free flowing media system is essential to our democracy. If you love this country and you care about our future, and the future of our world, then you must realize the importance of the media reform issue.
Note-worthy links:
Center for Public Integrity
http://www.publicintegrity.org/
FAIR-Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting
http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=101
Mediachannel.org
http://www.mediachannel.org/atissue/mediapolitics/
Columbia Journal Review- Who Owns What
http://cjr.org/tools/owners/index.asp
posted by TheHonestTruth | 9:40 AM
