Shabbat Shalom 6 Tamuz 5767

Liberal Media Bias...Follow the Money
Journalists contribute to Democrats over Republicans 9 to 1

When I attended Indiana University during the early 1990's, I was aspiring to be a journalist. I recall having conversations with colleagues at the student newspaper, I had a sports column at the time, and I remember talking about why we wanted to get into the profession. For me it was an excuse to write. For too many others, their reasoning was to "change the world."

Even back then I knew that was an inappropriate response from a future journalist. Reporting the news is about getting all sides of a story and reporting facts for the viewer or reader to decipher. However, those people I went to school with as well as the journalists who influenced them, are running the profession today and the left-wing bias is out of control.

Today bias reporting has made journalists as trustworthy as the politicians they cover. The practice of reporting general news from a partisan perspective has become accepted and today journalists don't even take basic steps to conceal their political ideology from the public.

Campaign finance laws require all political contributions to be public record. That is why investigative journalist Bill Dedman was able to uncover the undeniable proof of a pro-Democrat and liberal agenda in the press.

To the surprise of many, journalists are people too. The have opinions and values that can never bee 100% tempered. However, part of being a respected professional is keeping those beliefs to yourself and just reporting facts and views from all sides. That alone is why journalists should not make personal financial contributions to politicians or political causes. It's no different than a professional athlete wagering on a game they are personally involved with or a judge overseeing a trial or hearing that can impact their own life.

144 journalists from the journalism spectrum are listed in the Dedman report. The contributions to political campaign and causes favor Democrats and the political left, 9 to 1 compared to the GOP and the political right.

U.S. News & World Report, CBS Sunday Morning, The New Yorker, The San Diego Union-Tribune, Bloomberg News and of course the New York Times, are a just a few of the media outlets that are overwhelmed with Democratic contributors. To my surprise Fox News and Forbes magazine had more of an even number of Democrat/Republican contributors.

Leftists deny a media bias or claim it is slanted toward the political right sighting talk radio. Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Dennis Miller are not journalists who report the news. They are personalities who discuss various topics and do so from their point of view. Everyone who tunes them in understands the difference between their comments and the New York Times burying the recent thwarted terrorist plot at JFK airport on the 38Th page.

Al Gore may be full of B.S. when he says the Global Warming debate is over, but one thing that is for certain, there is no denying the liberal bias in the mainstream press. Nothing is more honest than how one spends their money and this report proves that 90% of journalists strongly support the left. That wouldn't be a story if it wasn't for the fact that they can't separate their politics from their profession.

Congress Urges UN to Charge Ahmadinejad
Reps Kirk and Rothman lead the way, Kucinich and Paul oppose

Even after the suburban Chicago Jewish community abandoned Congressman Mark Kirk (R-IL) last November, his support and work for the State of Israel remains relentless. The North Shore congressman along with Steve Rothman (D-N.J.), sponsored a non-binding resolution, calling for the United Nations to charge Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad under the genocide convention. The bi-partisan bill passed 411-2-11. The only "No" votes not surprisingly came from Presidential candidates Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) and Ron "the isolationist" Paul (R-TX). Nine Democrats and two Republicans wouldn't commit and only voted Present.

Will the United Nations take action as requested by the United States? No. The only action the UN ever takes is to spew anti-Semitic / Anti-American propaganda. Regarding Darfur and previous genocidal acts occurring world-wide, the UN is no different than Progressives who demand the killings in the Sudan end, but refuse to take any real action to actually save lives.

The difference in this situation is that when push comes to shove, Israel and the United States will take their own action, while telling the UN to go to Hell. Kudos goes out to congress for making this statement and a my personal thanks goes out to Rep. Kirk for supporting Israel even though the majority of Jews in your congressional district dissed you last year. This Jew is grateful.

Taking the Free Market and Capitalism for Granted
Supply and Demand is a beautiful thing

It's 2:30 in the morning and I am heading into work for a few hours. I'm hungry and in need of a cup of coffee...good coffee. There is not many people on the streets, but there are students studying and night owls needing the same fix as myself. That is why I am able to go to my local Dunkin Donuts and picked up an enormous, freshly made, cup of coffee with a freshly baked bagel and a smear of salmon cream cheese. The market demands it and capitalism provides the goods and services.

The above scenario, which happened exactly as written, may not be a big deal, but that's because Americans take these little pleasures provided by capitalism for granted. That's OK! 24 hour, I want it now service has been demanded by society for decades. The end result is the creation of jobs, tax revenue, community investment and satisfied customers.

Currently economic indicators are showing that the United States economy is strong. Home ownership has never been higher, wages are going up and unemployment is near record lows. With that said, not every industry or business can always be profitable. That is the current case with the U.S. auto industry.

While Toyota is doing well, Ford, GM and Chrysler are having serious problems. Guess who is union and who is not? Snide remark aside, the advantages to consumers is heightened.

If you want a Camry or Corolla, they are available and plenty. However, Toyota isn't desperate for sales, so don't expect a great deal or a good interest rate from Toyota credit. On the other hand, Ford is regrouping and looking down the road to strengthen their customer base.

The market demands that Ford has to make sales. Advantage you and I. Last week my wife and I decided it was time to trade-in the minivan for a car. Sure, gas prices was part of the reason, but truth be told, we missed the ride and enjoyment of driving a car. Not to mention the vans are a pain to keep clean.

We were leaning toward a Toyota Camry or a Rav 4. The dealership was very kind and knowledgeable, but only able to offer a 7.8% interest rate. I'm happy to say that we have excellent credit, so nearly 8% seemed ridiculous, especially since Ford and GM is offering 0% on most vehicles.

Having options provided by competition, we checked out Ford and the car we owned before having the minivan, the Focus. Ford offered us more for our van than Toyota. The Focus has a better warranty and is highly rated by Consumer Reports and Motor Trend magazine. Ford is also putting together a big campaign for their 2008 models and the reintroduction of the Taurus. Advantage...consumer.

Having incentives to get rid of 2007 models, we were able to purchase a brand new (3 miles) SE model with the upgraded safety features for a superb price and no interest financing. Not to mention a warranty, bumper to bumper, that will cover my car for years after the car is paid off.

By no means am I knocking Toyota. Great cars and our first choice. However, free market competition gave me and my family options. We were able to look at the big picture and make a decision best for us. Toyota wasn't in the cards this time around, but Ford was and has been most of my life. Free Markets = Competition = Capitalism = Family Values.

Paulie