Sinking newspapers and who is up to No Good
By Uppity Woman on May 10, 2009 at 6:40 PM in Congress (House & Senate), John Kerry, Media, Print
At a time when our National Debt has now reached a level so large that most Americans don’t even know exactly how many zeros are attached to it, John Kerry wants to make newspapers “Not for profit” so that they no longer have to pay taxes.
Hours before a Senate hearing on struggling newspapers, Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., said steps must be taken so the news media can stay diverse and independent.
Diverse and Independent. Excuse me while I cough and laugh….
“As a means of conveying news in a timely way, paper and ink have become obsolete, eclipsed by the power, efficiency and technological elegance of the Internet,” Kerry said in prepared remarks. “But just looking at the erosion of newspapers is not the full picture; it’s just one casualty of a completely shifting and churning information landscape.”
Kerry, chairman of the Commerce Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet, said newspapers resemble an endangered species. The panel was scheduled to hear from Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., who has proposed allowing newspapers to choose tax-exempt status and operate as nonprofits similar to public broadcasting stations.
Oh goodie. NPR in writing. We all know how objective they are. And now they can be “obsolete” and not pay taxes besides.
Readers, if you would also like the option of being Tax Exempt, please raise your hands.
Papers would no longer be able to make political endorsements, but could report on all issues including political campaigns. Advertising and subscription revenue would be tax-exempt, and contributions to support coverage could be tax deductible under Cardin’s plan.
I’m rolling my eyes here. Let’s take the New York Times. They endorse people in their slanted news coverage every single day. Who the hell is John Kerry kidding?
Kerry said he was concerned that traditional journalistic standards on fairness and accuracy could suffer as newspapers falter.
Really? How will we be able to tell the difference, John?
But have no fear, readers, some newspapers have a Savior. Or more accurately, a Savior Couple–who just happen to be thinking the same thing John Kerry is thinking! Isn’t that a coincidence!?? Don’t you just love when great minds are…..um…..sympatico?
Now, surely you are asking: Which benevolent couple could possibly be interested in ”helping out” sinking big newspapers, especially if they become “Not for Profits”?
Why……..it’s Herb and Marion Sandler! In case that name doesn’t ring a bell:
WASHINGTON – With newspapers dropping dead like the flies they once swatted, a new non-profit riding to the rescue with free, ready-made “independent investigative reporting” is accepting money from a billionaire couple with a far-left agenda and dubbed “the king and queen of toxic mortgages.”
Herb and Marion Sandler, who sold their Golden West Financial Corp. to Wachovia and nearly bankrupted the buyer with its portfolio of subprime loans, committed $10 million to Pro Publica Inc., the non-profit that promises underwritten hard-hitting investigative journalism that has a “moral force” to newspapers facing cutbacks in staff and elimination of editions.
Let’s see now. John Kerry thinks certain newspapers should have the option of being Not For Profit and the Sandlers just happen to have the same goal. Isn’t that a coincidence? After all, the Sandlers are perfect champions of “fairness” and lord knows they really care. After all, look at the nice things they have done for America in the recent past:
Time magazine named the Sandlers in its list of “25 People to Blame for the Financial Crisis.” The Sandlers company “offered several ways to back-load your loan and thereby reduce your early payments, with increasing zeal and misleading advertisements,” Time reported. Then the Sandlers dealt the company to Wachovia before the subprime loan crisis hit.
Even “Saturday Night Live” mocked the Sandlers, accusing them of pushing the bad loans on to Wachovia. That show was even tougher on the couple than Time, captioning the characters playing them with these words: “People who should be shot.”
Capital Research Center say Pro Publica has not lived up to its non-partisan, non-ideological billing.
Rather than investigating ACORN last fall, when accusation of voter fraud were being widely revealed, Pro Publica began probing the background of the public affairs group that blew the whistle on ACORN.
Pro Publica also invested resources in investigating Sarah Palin’s “pork history” and her connection to the “road to nowhere.” There was no similar interest in Barack Obama’s ties to Bill Ayers or Rev. Jeremiah Wright or any other similar controversies during the presidential campaign, notes the center.
Capital Research Center sees Pro Publica as another front in the battle by “progressive” organizations in promoting a left-wing policy agenda through the media – noting on-going efforts to silence talk radio, intimidate dissent through groups like Media Matters and even bail out newspapers
Golly, these sure are nice people!
Herb and Marion have some great “objective” friends too!
But, according to a report by Capital Research Center, the Sandlers have donated hundreds of millions of dollars to MoveOn.org, George Soros’ Democracy Alliance, David Brock’s Media Matters, John Podesta’s Center for American Progress, the William J. Clinton Foundation, the Tides Foundation, the Institute for Public Policy, the Natural Resources Defense Council and two affiliates of the voter-fraud tainted ACORN, the Association for Community Organizations for Reform Now – and many other groups and causes with a portside tilt.
Somebody please check John Kerry’s bill for Sandler fingerprints, would you?
Note: To read more about the Sandlers and how they helped bring down America’s economy, see Uppity piece, dated 9/30/08, entitled “‘One Big Happy Anti-Capitalist Family“.
(Release: November 13)
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STATE
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MEDIA
Lol on BHO-Kerry pic: they look like they should try out for Dancing With the Stars.
Thx for great article: I had not heard about this newspapers > nonprofits anywhere. (It figures).
Let us bury them wrapped up in their own garbage.
OMG, this is too unbelievable. Kerry, you suck!
…but, then again, that’s not a surprise, right? So, MASS…flatlanders…why the heck did you vote him back in???
Oh sure, Papers…writing opinion pieces…collecting monies for advertisers…paying salaries for columnists who have special interests supporting them…not pay taxes! What other brilliant ideas can we be expecting from the first half of the two Johns?
Not for profit … OMG, that is almost hysterical if we weren’t talking coming from one of the idiots who make these laws.
If he does this…and heaven forbid it passes with their filibuster proof, besides that we see what these Democrats agenda truly is….we must get the word out and make the Democrats lose their majority BIG TIME next elections.
Great. Please free my comment stuck in the spam filter.
Thank you.
and…what will be next for Scary Kerry, not for profit television??? roflmao
And, while we’re on the subject of really radical governing that we are seeing, all for their own benefit to help them politically, let me share another gem.
I’m sure you know that Obama would not allow the stimulus money be limited to US workers (of course, that would mean our US Taxdollars to help our US citizens-silly me) Well, they are hiring non citizen, non english speaking to do homeland security work.
I just found out that our cousin, working along the Texas border, building the remaining part of the “fence”, has been in the hospital. Apparently our Government hired a non english speaking man from Mexico to operate the machinery he apparently doesn’t know how to operate (and they get big bucks) and ran over our cousin with a bulldozer. This avid bicycle rider (across country) just had his angle crushed and leg broke in two places.
They also didn’t take good care of his wound, probably trying to keep a lid on this and got his wounds infected and then Sepsis set in and they had to then transfer him for better care. Yes, he’s lucky right now, risk of life, then at least loss of limb, but the Doctors are thrilled that he was in such good shape and looks like he may keep his body parts. Now on to rehabilitation for what he has left.
Please, share with us more of you witty politicians ways of protecting and working for us.
Well probably all except FOX! After all it just has not gone along and played the game nicely.
Great post Uppity; what a scam and what a farce….
Who’s Kerry et al. kidding? ….Well I guess the 69M that voted for “The One”…
The media will now be able to peddle a war (eg. Iraq) and a idol to act as president and not even pay taxes for it? Wow…
Caption for that photo:
Heel,Lurch, heel!!!
Great post! Effectively nationalizing the newspapers will make us even less informed and more brain washed than we already are.
Next they will say it is not good for our minds to have access to BBC or Der Spiegel, etc.
or Canadian television
We should make this one a add your comment:
Here is mine:
Don’t you dare ask him to produce a legit certificate of birth and stop calling him Hussein and he is not Muslim.
They are scared and doing what ever they can for 2010-2012 they have lost a lot of support..doing what ever to keep people uniformed.Many now had woken up…..
On behalf of millions of Clinton supporters who have made it very clear that we will vote for a cockroach before we vote for Barack Obama, I would like you pieces of Obama crap to know that you can kiss our asses. We will collectively do everything in our power to see to it that you and that mysogynist, bigoted, race-baiting pig you worship, the fraud who has already set gender and racial relations back thirty years, goes down in flames in a big way. And there are millions of us. Millions. The kind of millions that brought his type down before from the voting booth.
Our goal is to make Barack Obama lose by an even bigger margin than George McGovern, and he got 38% thanks to his ill-behaved savage followers. And you guys are worse! And George was actually a gentleman with some brains, unlike Barky Obama. He didn’t even do the rap on camera and give people the finger. His nutcase followers didn’t even have the internet where they could make comments about slitting Hillary Clinton’s throat and tossing her into a river like you guys do at my.barackobama. But, there is one huge simlilarity. Like his crackpot followers, you folks are the reason that the Democratic Party has only elected only two Presidents in thirty years. And only one of them served two terms. Guess why? Because he was a moderate instead of a crackpot Marxist hanging off some radical cliff.
There is no journalism any more. Just a bunch of paid political hacks which is why no one is watching/listening/reading. Every journalism school must be getting their textbooks from Bill Ayers and Michelle Obama.
Why, when they did their taxes did the Obama’s not report the over 100 companies with her name on them that get money from/and for media outlets? Why are we not all bomarding our senators and congressmen and voter registrars for investigations into these ties, and ACORN? I want a whitewater type investigations into these things. Why did Soros dump his stocks that started all of this (I think we know), but why is no one raking him over the coals digging into it? Where are all of the excelent journalists from the New York Times with their in depth coverage of Miss Calf’s clevedge!
I want to know EXACTLY what these companies are. I want to know EXACTLY what the Soros ties to this administrations are. I want to know WHY ACORN was allowed to go to the caucuses and strongarm people trying to exercise their constitutional rights to vote. I want to know EXACTLY where their money comes from and what it is used for. I want to know EXACTLY where all of Obama’s campaign money came from, AND I want to know who was getting a thrill ride on air force one over New York. It stinks of a reward for some bit FOREIGN doners that wanted a firsthand look at their handywork.
I am sick to death of this Chicago style lying cheating administration. It is time we start fighing fire with fire. Every morning when he wakes up and starts into his next Fucking of the American people we should be ready with our next investigation Fucking him back.
I refuse to show ANY ID from now on for anything I do. I want a mortgage, a bank account, to fly on an airplane, a voter registration etc. and I am not going to show a damn thing to get it except my light bill. No drivers license, no birth certificate, nothing. If our President and the lowest illegal alien does not have to show them, then by God neither am I. And if they think they are going to install GPS in my car from their government owned car companies I will rip it apart until it is gone. Well actually I wont because I will NEVER be buying a car from anything government owned.
GM if forecasting their comeback based on growing sales from Americans AFTER they move even more jobs overseas so they can pay less. I say Fuck them America, dont buy a damn thing from them. Stay home this summer and let their higher gas prices go to Hell sitting in the tanks. Obama wants sacrifice so lets give it to him. Dont buy anything! Dont travel, dont buy anything you dont have to have. If your going to sacrifice for the “greater good” let it be for the greater good of FREEDOM FROM A TYRANNICAL GOVERNMENT led by a looser who has never even had a real job in his life! If you guy anything, buy food and guns and ammo and get ready to take back your government and survive the coming tragedy that he has in store for us. Dont let your family be in the position of having to beg him for a hing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Let the people in the poe dunk third world drive their piece of shit cars. I will walk firt or drive my 20 year old Buick which still runs like a champ thank you very much.
Come on July 4th it is time for millions to go to the tea parties. Then it is time for millions to to Washington. I am fed up with this communist takeover and spitting on our country by this illegal alien president and the loons and the stupid rebelling republicans elected. It is time for an Independent revolution. The R’s and D’s are now one in the same. The industrial/media/military complex has taken over. It is our country damnit, it was our family’s blood shed for our freedom. He does’nt give a shit about it because it is a mean racist place, so get the Hell out of our house or we will throw you all out!
my post?
I said this a couple of times before, but what does it mean for us as a people when the government needs our newspapers more than we as a people need or want them? I have yet to think of any good or reasonable answer. At some point, we are going to need to question the very concept of liberty and freedom as it applies to us as a people. Because, if we are to have state sponsored media, then what exactly separates us from the old USSR and Pravda? We already see the effects of propaganda in the media. Look at the news from today. Obama “cuts” spending to incarcerate illegal aliens. Republicans are up in arms. Just as planned. Nobody is talking about the two trillion deficit… just some cut Obama would make and which republicans are crying over. Note the perception though. The most spend happy President of all time, propagandized as a “cutter” of spending and the party that should be against this… well they are pushing him to spend more. Imagine if the government could bypass all of this and just print the news as they see fit to begin with. We have fewer freedoms as it is, and are quickly losing the freedoms we have. Most folks aren’t equipped to deal with this administration… not because they are brilliant… no, because they are so blatantly juvenile. You simply need to think of them as elementary school kids to comprehend what they are capable of. There is absolutely no regard for consequence in any of their actions. It is all immediate gratification. Just like kids in grade school who found they had the key to the candy store. They will binge until they are sick, consequences be damned.
RE: “The panel was scheduled to hear from Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., who has proposed allowing newspapers to choose tax-exempt status and operate as nonprofits similar to public broadcasting stations.”
I smell a red herring.
I’m not a tax law expert, but my understanding is…
Any newspaper or other organization for that matter, who wants non-profit tax status, is allowed to choose to do so today, without any changes in any laws, as long as they agree among other things, to refrain from political endorsement.
Churches for example, work under the same tax-exempt non-profit rules. Some (both liberal and fundamentalist) get in trouble when they cross this line. http://www.irs.gov can tell you all about it.
The hearing is probably just to let congress suck up to newspapers to get political endorsements. Is anyone actually proposing a change in the political endorsement rule? I don’t see that they are in the linked Fox story. If not, then this is a non-issue.
But if they are, then the real danger is, opening the door for increased spending on harder to trace contributions for purposes of increased political influence. That is not the definition of diverse and independent; it’s anything but.
IMO, NPR and PBS are to be praised for long resisting America’s decent into cultural and intellectual mediocrity. Unlike most commercial media outlets, they have persisted in their refusal to make their target demographic the lowest common denominator. Their programmers assume that their listeners and viewers are not only capable of thinking for themselves, but actually prefer and make a regular practice of doing so.
Except that NPR ridiculed Gore eight years ago and gave us Bush. Are you telling me that Bush was a better President than Gore would have been. Are you joking?
I have no clue what you’re referring to.
Of course not. Please go look it up.
Look up what?
I followed that election closely. I have absolutely no recollection of NPR having taken an anti-Gore or a pro-Bush position.
My guess is that many people have a “received” attitude about NPR and PBS courtesy of various conservative media sources. Neutrality and unbiased commentary strike many conservatives as being liberal, owing to their own cock-eyed view of reality. These are people who thought John McCain was too liberal.
…descent…
Here is a pdf of “Cardin’s Newspaper Revitalization Act” http://cardin.senate.gov/pdfs/newspaperbill.pdf