Hi This is the opening gun for a series on our local voting powers. G
Sour Grapes and Saddle Sores
George Hirst
We are not for sale, or are we? January 12, 2006
A lot of places where I find information or seek entertainment are full of violent or sexual or criminal elements or all three. Our print media prints the same stories over and over. The news media all of them report on the same late breaking stories leaving out a lot of other events and stories that the public needs to know about. Entertainment on all three major TV channels are variations of the same theme and most of those themes are crime and violence exposed in its bloodiest and most violent forms. The most troublesome part of that is that when one channel comes up with a new story line, the rest seem to join in.
Added to that are reports of corruption and misuse of public funds by elected officials. Then one hears of fund raisers using the collected fund to buy official support for private causes. When that happened recently by a certain person, the persons who had received the funds hurriedly got rid of those funds.
Electioneering is still carried on by mud-slinging and personal attacks on opponents. A lot of money is spent on the effort. Finally, political parties lay claim to the whole truth claiming that the opposite party is faulty and unfit to lead. We are being sold out by being told how good things will when a person gets elected into office only to find out that it is the same old same old.
We are not for sale, but something is being sold here. The problem is worsened when ads from pharmaceutical companies keep pushing medications that will heal all sorts of things, then they tell us what the dangers might be in taking the medication, and finally they say, "check with your doctor". What is this but pill pushing?
Then there is the matter of credit card companies. It is no wonder that the credit card indebtedness is so outrageous! It is buy, buy, buy.
The ads on television stations outnumber the programs being shown. I believe that here is where we are being sold out. I understand that TV is free (except for paying for the displaying and receiving) and that we need to find a way to meet the cost of producing and sending. The end result is selling our time to the highest bidder disregarding what happens to the viewer.
You understand this column is truly sour grapes and saddle sores? We are losing control of our lives. Everything from in house entertainment to the use of our tax dollars benefits the seller and not the recipient. We are told that all of this is for our benefit! Wars we don’t want, public dollars spent on vested interests and time wasted on things we don’t need to see or read. These all speak of a sales job which we must recognize and find ways to improve general public interests.
I do not plan on throwing any more rocks or do any more complaining. I plan on writing about ways we can change our lifestyles and mental attitudes so that we receive what we need and not we are told we need. But in the meantime, we are for sale (like it or not) and we are being sold a bill of goods.
SourGrapesAndSaddleSores
Sour Grapes and Saddle Sores
George Hirst
We are not for sale, or are we? January 12, 2006
A lot of places where I find information or seek entertainment are full of violent or sexual or criminal elements or all three. Our print media prints the same stories over and over. The news media all of them report on the same late breaking stories leaving out a lot of other events and stories that the public needs to know about. Entertainment on all three major TV channels are variations of the same theme and most of those themes are crime and violence exposed in its bloodiest and most violent forms. The most troublesome part of that is that when one channel comes up with a new story line, the rest seem to join in.
Added to that are reports of corruption and misuse of public funds by elected officials. Then one hears of fund raisers using the collected fund to buy official support for private causes. When that happened recently by a certain person, the persons who had received the funds hurriedly got rid of those funds.
Electioneering is still carried on by mud-slinging and personal attacks on opponents. A lot of money is spent on the effort. Finally, political parties lay claim to the whole truth claiming that the opposite party is faulty and unfit to lead. We are being sold out by being told how good things will when a person gets elected into office only to find out that it is the same old same old.
We are not for sale, but something is being sold here. The problem is worsened when ads from pharmaceutical companies keep pushing medications that will heal all sorts of things, then they tell us what the dangers might be in taking the medication, and finally they say, "check with your doctor". What is this but pill pushing?
Then there is the matter of credit card companies. It is no wonder that the credit card indebtedness is so outrageous! It is buy, buy, buy.
The ads on television stations outnumber the programs being shown. I believe that here is where we are being sold out. I understand that TV is free (except for paying for the displaying and receiving) and that we need to find a way to meet the cost of producing and sending. The end result is selling our time to the highest bidder disregarding what happens to the viewer.
You understand this column is truly sour grapes and saddle sores? We are losing control of our lives. Everything from in house entertainment to the use of our tax dollars benefits the seller and not the recipient. We are told that all of this is for our benefit! Wars we don’t want, public dollars spent on vested interests and time wasted on things we don’t need to see or read. These all speak of a sales job which we must recognize and find ways to improve general public interests.
I do not plan on throwing any more rocks or do any more complaining. I plan on writing about ways we can change our lifestyles and mental attitudes so that we receive what we need and not we are told we need. But in the meantime, we are for sale (like it or not) and we are being sold a bill of goods.
SourGrapesAndSaddleSores