For those who say that conservatives and libertarians exaggerate the Left's insatiable drive for higher taxes and bigger government, there is this report from The Washington Times:
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is seeking ways to "reinvent" journalism, and that's a cause for concern. According to a May 24 draft proposal, the agency thinks government should be at the center of a media overhaul. The bureaucracy sees it as a problem that the Internet has introduced a wealth of information options to consumers, forcing media companies to adapt and experiment to meet changing market needs.
The bureaucracies of the federal (and state) government are dominated by liberal Democrats, even when Republicans hold the White House and Congress. The ideology of these folks shapes their view of public policy. They want higher taxes. They firmly believe that the "experts" in government are better suited to handle such "trifles" as our free press and your health care.
Organizations such as AFP, sites like Drudgereport.com and Townhall.com, media outlets such as Fox News, and conservative-dominated talk radio undermine Leftist dogma and threaten liberal Democrats' ability to get re-elected. Is there any confusion as to why, in the Age of Obama, the Democrat-controlled government would be attempting to implement restrictions and levy fines against the outlets that are such thorns in their sides? Add in the fact that those on the Left already desire centralized power and control in every aspect of our lives and the picture should be getting clearer.
"There are reasons for concern that experimentation may not produce a robust and sustainable business model for commercial journalism," the report states. With no faith that the market will work things out for the better, government thinks it must come to the rescue.
The ideas being batted around to save the industry share a common theme: They are designed to empower bureaucrats, not consumers. For instance, one proposal would, "Allow news organizations to agree jointly on a mechanism to require news aggregators and others to pay for the use of online content, perhaps through the use of copyright licenses."
In other words, government policy would encourage a tax on websites like the Drudge Report, a must-read source for the news links of the day, so that the agency can redistribute the funds collected to various newspapers. Such a tax would hit other news aggregators, such as Digg, Fark and Reddit, which not only gather links, but provide a forum for a lively and entertaining discussion of the issues raised by the stories.
Tax the successful media outlets to subsidize the institutions and organizations that have failed?
Pathetic. Unconscionable. Un-Constitutional.
In other words, liberalism.
The conflict of interest in having the government pay or contribute to a newsman's salary could not be more obvious. Reporters and columnists would have little incentive to offer critical analyses of tax increases that might mean a boost in the pocketbook. Once Congress has the power to fund the news, it can at any time attach "strings" designed to promote certain viewpoints - in the name of fairness, of course. Each year at budget time, the Fourth Estate would scramble to be worthy in the eyes of Capitol Hill for increased support. It is hardly a surprise that the heavily subsidized National Public Radio frequently presents issues in a way favorable to Washington's tax-and-spend agenda.
Read more:
http://www.americansforprosperity.org/060710-conflict-interests-mile-deep#ixzz0qBs4HhbW
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