Posted by
Resa on Monday, March 19, 2007 2:04:05 PM
The reason we started
JeffersonReview.com was that the mainstream media frequently ignored
the news or slanted it to support its own agenda. Our goal was to
provide an alternative source of information and analysis. While
there are more outlets for information now, unfortunately, the need for
a source that is unbeholden to the powerful interests, continues.
For example, while politicians and the press continually distract us
with “scandals” of little consequence, like revealing the “secret
identity” of a woman who worked at a desk in Washington or firing some
government employees in Washington D.C. or Frankfort, Kentucky, the
real problems and scandals continue with little mention.
National security – Many members of congress do lots of posturing about
the war in Iraq, but they take no responsibility. If they want to
end the war, they should take a real stand -- vote to cut off funding
and take the heat for their decision. The scandal is that they
want it both ways. Similarly with border security and amnesty for
illegal aliens. The real scandal is that our elected officials
refuse to stand up and take responsibility. We did not elect them
to collect their pay, cozy up to lobbyists, and go to Washington
parties. We elected them to make the tough decisions that need to
be made for the good of our country, and it is a scandal that they are
ducking that responsibility.
Education – Our elected officials continue to sell out our children’s
futures to the powerful teacher’s unions. This is a
horrible scandal, but all we hear from the media and from our elected
officials is that we need to give more money. Of course, the
wealthy politicians are able to escape the disastrous system they have
created by sending their own children to private schools, while middle
class children remain trapped. In Kentucky, there is a proposal
to allow parents to use state money that already has been allocated for
special needs students to provide scholarships for those students to
use anywhere they choose. These students might achieve great
things if given half a chance, but the bill was not even given a
hearing.
Health Care – The more government takes control of health care, the
worse it gets. The scandal at Walter Reed Hospital
http://www.gopusa.com/commentary/dpatton/2007/dp_03121.shtml is a
perfect example of government health care, but that scandal would never
have been aired if it had not served as a way to attack the Bush
administration and the war. The real scandal is that, despite the
repeated, persistent failure of government programs, and the fact we
know these force-based programs can never perform as well as the
competitive market, the elitists continue to call for more government
control over our health care. Soon, we all will be paying top
dollar in taxes to have rats running around at the foot of our hospital
beds, just like the folks at Walter Reed. Why isn’t the press
demanding that candidates take a stand on this issue so we will know
whether they want to move us upward, toward more freedom and
competition, or downward toward more government control over our lives?
Politicized science – The way science has become politicized is another
scandal. Scientists are supposed to provide honest
data, without spin, and scientists who care about the truth are
supposed to do their best to interpret that data, appreciating the
benefits of honest disagreement and debate. Instead, we are given
much data that is skewed and twisted, as well as many outright lies in
the name of science, and politicians threaten anyone who challenges the
“science” supporting their agendas. The current lying and skewing
is being done in the area of “global warming” and climate change, the
effects of second-hand smoke, stem cell research, and the effects of
various types of fats in our diet. Thirty years ago, we were
treated to false “data” about the number of women who died from botched
abortions. Sadly, public policies are made based on these lies,
and the public, educated in the government schools which teach
obedience to authority, continues to be duped. Where are the
courageous journalists who will shine a light on these scandals?
Race relations – Government policies that favor one race over another
continue to be a scandal and to foster divisiveness. Ward
Connerly, a leader in the fight for racial equality, spoke to a
standing-room-only crowd in Louisville, urging a dialog on this issue
http://www.jeffersonreview.com/articles/2007/031207/civil.htm , but the
local newspaper did not even cover the event.
We continue to hope that the truth will come out, but, meanwhile, the
trumped-up scandals continue to keep most people distracted from the
real scandals, so the entrenched powers can continue their plunder and
our elected officials can continue to escape their responsibility to
serve the public interest.