An Unfair Doctrine

In typical Washington form, our federal politicians are trying to do a back-door sneak and re-instate The Fairness Doctrine -- only they aren't going to call it The Fairness Doctrine. It will probably show up in the form of FCC monitoring or localism. Something that doesn't have to be addressed by a vote. If you enjoy talk radio, or if you just feel that your government doesn't have the right to take talk radio off the air, then it's time to let your representatives know how you feel. Below is the letter that Edie wrote to her representatives:

"I am writing to inform you of my absolute opposition to any form of a fairness doctrine censoring talk radio. It is becoming more and more obvious that this federal government intends to sneak through that kind of legislation in other ways. It may not be called fairness doctrine, but will probably show up as localism or some kind of FCC monitoring committee. I expect you to protect my right to listen to whatever I choose. The federal government will have stepped way beyond its bounds if any type of legislation or monitoring/censorship committees are enacted.

"It is not the job of the government to decide what's fair for the American people. It's your job to keep us safe and then get out of the way so that we can pursue happiness. Well, I'm not real happy right now with what's going on with my government; probably because Washington keeps getting in the way.

"And I don't want to hear back about how the airwaves are public and congress needs to monitor them. We both know that the airwaves were only made public so that a system would be devised to prevent stations from leeching each others call signs. It was never intended for government abuse of American citizens' rights.

"If censoring of talk radio is pursued, I will assume that it's because we are hearing the truth from them and that you and your colleagues are scared to death of the people finding out what's really happening in Washington.

"It's rather ironic that any liberal in Washington would be interested in a fairness doctrine by any name since Democrats control everything. It would seem that the people make their own decisions regardless of what's coming across the airwaves."

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100 DAYS, 100 MISTAKES

JOE SCARBOROUGH, GLENN BECK AND OTHERS ON OBAMA'S SHORT, ERROR-PRONE TIME IN OFFICE

Mistakes 61 through 70

61. Threatening to fire anyone the administration doesn't like from any company.

62. Not adopting a dog from a shelter.

63. "The GAO study asserts that officials from most of the states surveyed 'expressed concerns regarding the lack of Recovery Act funding provided for accountability and oversight. Due to fiscal constraints, many states reported significant declines in the number of oversight staff -- limiting their ability to ensure proper implementation and management of Recovery Act funds.' " -- ABC News, 4/23

64. "The National Newspaper Publishers Association named Obama 'Newsmaker of the Year.' The president is to receive the award from the federation of black community newspapers in a White House ceremony this afternoon. The Obama White House has closed the press award ceremony to the press." -- Los Angeles Times, 3/20

65. "Though this nation has proudly thought of itself as an ethnic melting pot, in things racial we have always been and continue to be, in too many ways, essentially a nation of cowards." -- Attorney General Eric Holder

66. "I didn't want to get into a Nancy Reagan thing about, you know, doing any seances." -- Obama, on consulting with only "living" presidents

67. Obama quietly announced that he would not press for new labor and environmental regulations in the North American Free Trade Agreement, going back on a campaign promise.

68. NICOLE GELINAS ON: MISSPENT STIMULUS

"One of Obama's most poignant missed opportunities was in not using the historic $787 million stimulus package to reorder state and local government's spending priorities. As states and cities continue to spend ceaselessly and without results on education and healthcare, they're crowding out investments in the physical infrastructure that the private sector needs to rebuild the economy.

"In the stimulus, of the more than $200 billion that went directly to states and cities, nearly 70% went to education and healthcare spending. Only 24% went to infrastructure spending.
"But the states and cities in the most trouble already spend way too much on education and healthcare, pushing taxes up and sending private industry away. They don't spend nearly enough on infrastructure, which attracts the private sector and builds the real economy.

"As David Walker, former comptroller general of the US, said at the Regional Plan Association's annual meeting a week ago, nationwide, we are the 'highest in the world' on education. We are 'the highest in the world' on healthcare. 'Nobody comes even close.' On infrastructure, by contrast, we are 'below average' in both critical new investments and in much-needed maintenance spending.

"And, as Democratic governor of Pennsylvania Ed Rendell said at the same conference, when President Dwight Eisenhower left office, infrastructure spending was about 12.5% of non-military domestic spending. Today, it's about 2.5%.

"This shortfall is obvious to anyone who's ridden on an "express train" to the outer boroughs or driven on the Cross Bronx Expressway recently. But in New York, as elsewhere, the stimulus money has just allowed the state to ramp up spending on its wasteful, inhumane Medicaid program and its nosebleed public-school spending.

"Meanwhile, the subways are about to crumble into oblivion -- taking the economy with them. The same is true of decaying infrastructure in California and in aging states across the nation.
"The stimulus was a once-in-a-generation chance to change this. Instead, it made the situation worse." -- Nicole Gelinas is a contributing editor to City Journal

69. "The Justice Department is asking the Supreme Court to overrule Michigan v. Jackson, the 1986 Supreme Court decision that held that if police may not interrogate a defendant after the right to counsel has attached, if the defendant has a lawyer or has requested a lawyer. This isn't the first time the Justice Department, under President Obama, has sought to limit defendants' rights." -- TalkLeft blog

70. "By any measure, my administration has inherited a fiscal disaster." -- Obama