June 22, 2007 by Stuck In Spokane.

I want to start this post with an apology. I realize that I haven’t properly posted a blog in a week and only two others have been posted. I’ve had some things come up this week that have kept me away from writing, but they are over now and I’m back for good.

Every year, State Reps send a “Report from the Legislature,” I’ve had the opportunity to read a few of them from the various different districts from around the area. The 4th Districts Reps stood out above the rest for their clear lack of intelligence. The fourth is represented in the State Legislature by Larry Crouse and Lynn Schindler, both of whom are members of the do nothing Republican Minority.

They gave their regular update, how it was hard for them because the big bad Democrats had control… Blah, Blah, Blah. For the most part the update has been the state Republican’s mantra for the last couple of year, that Democrats are taxing and spending this state into the stone age and that we are wasting money.

On page three however, it starts getting juicy, Crouse and Schindler really start showing their true colors with articles with titles like “Alert to parents: state-mandated sex education on the way!” and “Mandatory paid family leave.” Oh my god, I think these must be some of the scariest things Republican’s have ever heard in their life. That their children might have to learn about safe sex, so that when the inevitable happens they know how to use a condom, and you know, maybe prevent a teen pregnancy or two. Unfortunately Repuglicans think of this as “graphically sexual” education. I’m sorry Lynn, Larry but this just doesn’t cut it, read the numbers, check your facts, “abstinence only” education does absolutely nothing, except increase the likelihood that teenagers will have unprotected and unsafe sex. Thanks for working to increase teen pregnancy!

The two Repuglican’s don’t stop there, they prove not only do they want more kids on the street, but that also hate families. They complain that a bill passed by the legislature forces companies to provide five weeks of paid leave when a family has a child or adopts, at $250 a week. It doesn’t stop there though, it forces the company to hold their job open for them. That’s a hardship right? Forcing the good companies of Washington to keep jobs open for those evil little family loving people? Schlindler and Crouse go on to talk about how this is a “very expensive plan that only benefits relatively few workers.” Wait, families don’t work? How do they support their families? The only people I don’t see this benefiting are CEOs who will have to pay out $1250 for a kid and leave a job open so the family can continue to support the child. Lynn, Larry, I don’t know where you guys stashed your mother ship, but you might want to just head back to Pluto.

Posted in 4th LD, Spokane GOP, Washington, Spokane | 2 Comments »

June 22, 2007 by Alpha.

Every once in a while I tune and watch a bit of Bill O’Reilly’s show. I find it comforting to listen to Papa Bear imparting wisdom and defending the Folks.

When I tuned into his television show, “The O’Reilly Factor,” yesterday here are the first few sentences I got.

I choose not to give money to political causes or candidates because my beat is to watch all these people, not pay their bills. But I see nothing wrong with journalists donating money to people they believe will serve the country well. What is definitely wrong is for the media to beat up those with whom they disagree politically.

Since I don’t have Mr. O’Reilly’s address I can’t be certain whether or not he has contributed to any Federal level campaigns. I’ll take his word for it, this once. Let’s dissect that block of text a bit, shall we?

By way of disclaimer I want it noted that Bill O’Reilly is not a journalist and he should stop telling people he is. He’s a commentator, just like most of us filthy unwashed bloggers.

If you swing your hammer at enough screws you’re bound to pound one in eventually. O’Reilly scores when he reminds the Folks that journalists ought to be looking in every direction and maintaining professional distance from their sources and subjects. But wait! He doesn’t expect all those mortal journos to match the high, high standards he sets for himself! Not every reporter has the intestinal fortitude to be a Bill O’Reilly, after all.

So it doesn’t matter if journalists give money, just so long as they keep their reporting Fair and Balanced. Okay, I can see that. After all, the reporting’s the important thing. And once again, BillO and I agree! Only we agree in exactly opposite directions.

It’s that last bit that really worries me. The big problem, O’Reilly would have us believe, is that all those mean liberal reporters are dragging conservatives through the mud because they disagree with them on abortion, immigration, Iraq or other political issues.

Would that it were that simple. The larger problem facing our democracy today is that too many commentators, like O’Reilly himself, pass themselves off as journalists, then fail to act as critical and independent members of the Fourth Estate. The long-term health of our Republic demands an oppositional media in exactly the same way it demands an oppositional system of justice.

It may well be that as television becomes more and more concerned with entertaining viewers the Internet will develop as a stronger and more rigorous Fourth Estate 2.0. Here’s hoping.

P.S. Not only is BillO wrong, he’s also a hypocrite. Less then ten seconds after the block quote above he refers to “hateful Air America Radio Network” which was “loved” by the print press “before it went bankrupt because of low ratings.” Of course, Air America is solvent again, and is beating O’Reilly in markets all over the country.

P.P.S. My prediction package for the Democrats is coming, I promise.

Posted in Rants, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »