Fairness Doctrine In Another Name

Typical Liberal Policies. Take from those who have Earned, and give to those who haven't.

Hey folks,

So the MMD {Mainstream Media Drones} the State Run Media, is losing Readership, and Viewership at a record pace. So instead of self examination and seeing how they can improve to acquire more, they want to silence the New Media.

This is not new. They HATE the fact that you get the truth. They hate the fact that, most of the time, you get it for FREE. So they continuously look for ways to shut down the New Media. Talk Radio, the Blogosphere, and the like.

One of the latest attempts, is to make you pay for it, taking that money, and giving it to the MMD. I'm not kidding. According to the Washington Times - EDITORIAL: FTC dodges Drudge Tax questions Agency head complained of 'free ride' for online news readers

Federal Trade Commission (FTC) leaders are attempting to distance themselves from controversial proposals published in a May 24 working paper on "reinventing" the media. The report presents a suite of options through which government could step in and supposedly rescue journalism, most notably by imposing taxes. A fee could be levied on websites such as the Drudge Report that link to the best news of the day, or a tax could be imposed on consumer electronics such as iPads, laptops and Kindles. Funds collected would be redistributed to traditional media outlets. FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz torpedoed the device tax in testimony Wednesday before a Senate Judiciary subcommittee, saying, "I think that's a terrible idea."

Way to go FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz. Logic and reason. Good job.

The backpedaling is not surprising, as the suggestions coming out of the headquarters at 600 Pennsylvania Ave. are about as unpopular as they come in Washington. A poll released Tuesday by Rasmussen Reports found that three out of four of those surveyed opposed taxing gadgets. About the same amount opposed the Drudge Tax. "The American people have absolutely no interest in taxing new media or consumer electronics to prop up an industry that's clearly on its way out," pollster Scott W. Rasmussen said in an interview.

NONE of Obama's and the Liberal Loon Policies are liked by the majority in this Country. NONE.

Trial balloons are a fact of life inside the Beltway. When the administration and Congress want to enact a politically controversial policy, they often punt the issue to an independent federal agency whose leadership need not face the wrath of voters. Inside the agency, potentially unpopular ideas are presented first by staff so commissioners can jettison plans that prove untenable. Mr. Leibowitz declined a request to comment more specifically on the Drudge Tax. The agency's other commissioners referred questions to the FTC Office of Policy Planning, whose head reports to Mr. Leibowitz.

Passing the buck is a classic bureaucratic dodge. The FTC claims that the well-developed proposals released last month were simply an enumeration of options suggested in "public comments." In fact, the agency's Federal Register announcement for the proceeding questioned the propriety of news-aggregator websites that "do not pay for content" - this document was filed long before public hearings were held.

The report's views also happen to match positions Mr. Leibowitz has held in the past. Before joining the FTC, he was vice president of the Motion Picture Association of America, an organization that defends an extreme view of copyright law in order to prop up Hollywood's increasingly obsolete business model. At a December workshop, Mr. Leibowitz complained that online news readers get a "free ride instead of paying the full value - or in fact paying anything - for what they're consuming."

Despite the retreat on the electronics tax, it appears Mr. Leibowitz and his staff have not abandoned the opinion that the problems facing journalism can and should be solved by government - even if the exact form this control would take is open to negotiation. As the Obama administration has demonstrated its willingness to ignore negative public opinion in order to expand government involvement in areas such as health care, it is important for Congress to step in and deflate the FTC's latest trial balloon. Government subsidies will destroy, not save, journalism.

Journalism is DEAD. The reason these outlets are dying off is because those in charge of them have STOPPED being Journalists, and started being Propagandists. They have all but abandoned the quest for truth, and replaced it with reporting, or not, whatever they are directed to do by those on the Left. They have ceased being the reporters of the news, and have become the MAKERS of the news. Problem is, with the New Media, they can no longer get away with it. They are caught EVERY TIME they try.

One thing that they need to remember about all this is this, the New Media is here to stay. They also are well funded and have extremely powerful Lawyers standing by watching and waiting. If it is a fight they want, a fight they will get. Not to mention, YOU. YOU will decide who makes it and who doesn't. A lesson THEY will learn come November.
Peter

Sources:
Washington Times - EDITORIAL: FTC dodges Drudge Tax questions Agency head complained of 'free ride' for online news readers