If you watch too much of the old standard media, or too easily accept the buzz from much of our social media, you are blindly relying on your ability to wade through the muck of propaganda without getting dirty. We would all like to think we can do it, we are smart enough, etc. Problem is we are not as good at filtering as we might think and our sources are professionals. In the name of variety, I would like to propose one source that is worth adding to your list: a progressive site known as ALTERNET.
I suggest this site because I respect and value the professionalism of several of those who have contributed. “Don Hazen is the executive director of the Independent Media Institute and executive editor of the two-time Webby award-winning news site, AlterNet.org. AlterNet has been a top content provider in the progressive and independent media world since 1997, with consistently increasing audiences currently averaging 7 million unique visitors per month. The former publisher of Mother Jones magazine, Hazen has edited and co-edited several books”.
As an example, in the following article from ALTERNET, Robert Reich does a great job presenting California as an example of what the application of progressive policies can do for an economy. In various ways, his article basically shows that “California is the opposite of Trumpland”. As almost the mirror opposite of much of the rest of the nation” CA has boldly done the following and more:
- “preferred Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump by a 2-to-1 margin”,
- “voted to extend a state tax surcharge on the wealthy”,
- “adopt(ed) local housing and transportation measures” as well as “a slew of local tax increases and bond proposals”,t
- has the “toughest regulations, particularly when it comes to the environment”,
- has one of the “most ambitious healthcare system, that insures more than 12 million poor Californians, in partnership with Medicaid; and high wages”
Something must be wrong! CA must surely be failing. Employers must be fleeing in droves. Nope, in “so-called over-taxed, over-regulated, high-wage California” things are pretty damn good. “California leads the nation in the rate of economic growth — more than twice the national average. If it were a separate nation it would now be the sixth largest economy in the world. Its population has surged to 39 million (up 5 percent since 2010).” Come on Californians, where’s your patriotic panic?
Our national news needs to cover more of these stories with some actual facts as presented by professionals such as Professor Reich. But we are not likely to find these if we continue to spend most of our time (and time equals dollars) supporting the same old propaganda and social medias. Maybe is is time to look to something new.
http://www.alternet.org/economy/robert-reich-california-opposite-trumpland-thats-why-it-thriving
Thanks for the reminder about Alternet! I used to read it on a regular basis, but that was years ago. I’ve bookmarked it in my “News” folder.
BSB,
What do you think about the recount? Any chance?
-Fred
Re: a recount, I believe it is a very democratic process and something we should do regularly, visibly and with substantial media coverage. It would help to validate our whole election process and doing it this way would hopefully remove a lot of the covert corruption that is so possible today.