Fairness Doctrine Update - The Good News and the Bad News

A vote was taken to prevent reinstating the "Fairness Doctrine."

First of all, I'm not going to assume you know why the "Fairness Doctrine" is bad, so let me make it clear. The "Fairness Doctrine" is an assault on our right of free speech, guaranteed in the Constitution. By this doctrine, the government would regulate broadcasters-at this time focusing on talk radio-by trying to ensure that both sides of competing views would be heard. Conservatives rule talk radio, because liberal radio has not been successful. The argument goes that stations would simply shut down conservative radio shows so they wouldn't have to worry about the regulatory hassle and the cost of bringing the unsuccessful liberals on the air to compete with successful talk radio.

There would not be a focus so much on television with the "fairness" regulatory drive. Unfortunately, the claim is made that the mainstream media is already "fair and balanced" but this is hardly the case.

At any rate, the good news is a vote was taken to prevent the "Fairness Doctrine," and it won overwhelmingly. The bad news is another vote was taken to allow a kind of "equal opportunity" kind of legislation in broadcasting, forcing broadcasters to meet quotas of certain minorities.
This is a back door attempt to regulate and control radio. Check out the following article here for more information:

http://townhall.com/blog/g/fdc1fafd-6d58-45b1-b016-bf3f5ee8c860?comments=true&commentsSortDirection=Descending

Just let me continue on this topic a little. Qualified people should have opportunities, period. There is plenty of opportunity for everyone. What begins to happen when regulations like this are instated is that there is a "reverse discrimination." Here is the serious problem with liberal thinking on this issue. You're going to hear a little "Rush Limbaugh" echo syndrome, but this kind of thing is exactly why you should be listening to Rush. Liberals believe that there is only so much wealth, so much opportunity, so many resources to go around. There certainly are finite resources, but PRODUCTIVE people actually "manufacture" more of everything-more wealth, more opportunity, more jobs for everyone-as long as they are not punished for being successful.

That is what big government does. It punishes the successful by picking the winners and losers of society. When it backs one interest another is punished. It would be better to let each of the interests compete. In the end you would find that there would be plenty of opportunity for all of them. Just look at the music industry.

There is no shortage of black performers. There is no one claiming that there should be an equal balance of white R and B singers. I don't think there is any dispute that black artists own that medium. And if they do, they should, because they've built it, and they're the best at it. They should reap the benefits of their success.

At the same time, if you look at the 80s and 90s popularity of hard rock and big hair bands you may not see many black "hard rock" performers. I can name only one ethnically black band: Living Color. It's because generally it may not be so much a medium that black performers care about. However, Living Color broke into that category for one reason: they were incredible performers and deserved that attention. Success and excellence deserves attention, and it will be recognized. That's all there is to it. The 50s and 60s and the era of discrimination is over. It's dead. Get over it liberals and start believing in the power of America the way the rest of us do. There is plenty of opportunity for everyone to succeed. Get your thumb off our backs. I think that's 'nuff said. -Cal Samuel August