Yes

by Charles Sousa

Created on: April 17, 2008   Last Updated: March 02, 2011

Exposure is the only way to curb government abuse. The problem is the media, not the abusive government. The media is big cooperate business. The manner in which the government abuses its citizens is looking the other way as big business abuses its customers, the public and its stock holders. It is the big cooperations that spend the millions of dollars at every election to put the most cooperative candidates in public office. After serving a couple of session and are defeated, the cooperations reward them with positions stock option and the like.

In the ancient days of investigative reporting there was such an thing as a monopoly. That was when a cooperation controls over 50% of the market. It was made illegal by congress. What comes to mind is Ma Bell/Standard oil. The government broke them up in the interest of the public good so that they could not control the market price of the good or services marketed to the public. We were not to be held hostage by corporate take overs.

To continue, radio stations were way back then limited to the number of minutes they could devote to advertising because the Radio was to be operated in the best interest of the public. Further radio stations could only operate in one market area, nor could the same owners operate more than one station in the same market area. When television came along, the TV station could operate only in one market and their marketing minutes were limited further and they could only operate one Radio station. When FM came, the operators were granted the operation of one FM station, one AM station and one TV station in the same market. No market area was limited to only one station. In order to keep the news media open and competitive, radio stations and TV stations could not own newspapers in the same market area.

I am sure you get the picture of what the last part of the 20th century looked like media wise. We look at this today. We are down to 3 major oil companies controlling 90% of the world's market. Did government protect us from the oil cartels. Of course they did not. That's why we are paying $4.00 a gallon for gas. In 1950 when Standard oil was divided up, gasoline was about .30 cents a gallon. Ma Bell is back to where it was 60 years ago holding 75% of local and long distant calling. Radio stations in many markets are owned and controlled by a TV station in the same market. Many are also owned and operated by the local newspaper which also owns multiple radio TV station in contiguous markets, some controlling the media in whole sections of the country. As for the marketing minutes stipulated by the government is nothing more than a shame. What use to be 10 minutes per hour has turned into 20 minutes per hour.

The psychological outcome of that practice has taught the American public to turn off their attention mechanism automatically after 8 and 1/2 minutes of TV. The whole process we call the media has by reason of the advancements in the electronic industry, has put a great deal of power in the hands of the few. I am speaking about corporate America were the corporate boards are made up of people who hold fast amounts of stock and sit on the boards of several corporations at the same time. There is not an elected official in Washington that is not up to their ears in the corporate workings of the Nation.

Can the Media expose government abuse? It could but it's not in their best interest to do so. The real issue is can government expose the abuses of Corporate America as it did a half century ago. The media determines the out come of wars; Viet Nam, Iraq trade take overs in the United States. We have been invaded by Japan, China, Germany, England, France and Saudi Arabia. They own more of the country than we do. Corporate America is selling and they are buying. The government permitted foreign nations to buy up our land, our business, and our financial assets. Yet a United States citizen is not allowed to do those things in the lands of which I speak. No the media keeps our eyes on the work starved Mexican and away from the abuses of corporations and of Government. The media controls what we are told about the candidates, the issues, but not necessarily the truth.

There is a portion of the Declaration of Independence that should be read again.

Among those rights are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure those rights governments are instituted among men, deriving their just power from the consent of the governed. That when ever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends. It is the right of the people to alter or abolish it, and institute a new government.

The media is not or will expose the abuses of Government. As citizens we have no control over corporate America as we once did through the market place. Our only control is over those we elect to office. We can not really trust the Media to tell us the facts about any candidate as they once did. One though - if you want to change the look of government change the faces in government. No reelection for anyone in Government for the next 8 years. The Declaration of Independence says we can do it. We have a few hundred million votes to do it.

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