The truth is non-partisan

Some members of Congress are proposing to reinstate the Fairness
Doctrine, which would require broadcast media to present alternative
viewpoints on controversial topics.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) established the Fairness
Doctrine in 1949 to ensure the "right of the public to be informed" by
presenting "for acceptance or rejection the different attitudes and
viewpoints" on controversial issues. The policy was upheld in 1969 by
the Supreme Court because the public airwaves were a "scarce resource"
that needed to be open to opposing views. However, a 1974 Supreme
Court decision stated "government-enforced right of access inescapably
dampens the vigor and limits the variety of public debate" and a 1984
decision suggested that the regulation was "chilling speech" and
didn't apply in the face of expanding communications technologies.

Thus, in 1985 the FCC concluded the policy in fact inhibited
broadcasters from handling controversial issues and was no longer
needed because of the growth of cable television. In 1987 when
Congress passed a law to reinstate the Fairness Doctrine, President
Reagan vetoed the bill.

The Fairness Doctrine was not really fair. Its purpose when
established was to provide opposing viewpoints on the air, the premise
being that the broadcast waves were limited and belong to the public.

The problem is with the notion of opposing viewpoints. It's a fallacy
that there are only two viewpoints. On most issues there are many
viewpoints – not just two. So when implementing a Fairness Doctrine,
do you allow only the two dominant viewpoints or do you allow all
viewpoints. On some issues there is certainly not enough time for all
viewpoints. How does a radio station decide? Radio would become like
C-Span, dull and boring.

Thus the enforcement and administration of the system would become
unmanageable. Who decides and by what mechanism? What does this do
to the profits of the station, if all of its time is devoted to the
airing a multitude of opinions, that most people don't care about.
These were the problems that were recognized in the 1980s – and they
still exist today.

Because of limited time and market factors it makes it impossible to
implement a process that would give equal airtime to all viewpoints.

Implementing a fairness doctrine is a two-edged sword. Conservative
talk shows may not want to implement a Fairness Doctrine, but then
neither would the liberal networks.

Diversity of viewpoints is important in a free society. More
information and education allows society to understand issues and
makes it better able to make decisions. One of the first things that
tyrants and dictators do is to manage education and information for
fear that the truth will out. Truth sets people free. In America
today we don't lack forums to express our viewpoints. What we lack is
knowledge about how to use them. The Internet has opened up
tremendous possibilities for the dissemination of information, using
podcats, blogs, YouTube and who knows what else will come. Cable has
made television available to almost everyone and satellite radio has
expanded the possibilities for radio.

"In Taliban's Afghanistan, people knew little of the outside world because TVs and satellite dishes were tabooed. In the US, most people, no matter how well intended, also know little of the outside world. Their perception is almost entirely concocted based on bits and pieces from CNN's sound bites, Jay Leno's comedy and Hollywood's stereotypes."
Source: The Peninsula On-line

An article in the New York Times, "The Richest of The Rich," describes a new gilded age where the rich are getting richer, powered by investment savvy and a strong stock market. In the meantime, the middle class is losing ground in a country where jobs are outsourced and sent overseas. More and more people are earning at the minimum wage and having to take two and three jobs to make ends meet.

Alexis de Tocqueville writing in the 1830s considered America great because people with independence and initiative could get ahead. Today many Americans are discouraged in a country where the wealth is owned by a few but the overwhelming majority are burdened with debt, low incomes, and few opportunities.

The solution is not more restrictions, but rather less government, less taxes, and more opportunities that will create wealth and keep America industrious and healthy. A nation's wealth is built from the bottom up, not the other way around. The problem is that the average American doesn't have the opportunities of the few rich. Too much of what they earn is spent on taxes and interest. Also, Americans now compete with global giants that have no sense of national loyalty or the effects of their decisions on the small entrepreneur. The problem is not that the wealthy are obscenely rich, but rather that a glass ceiling exists that makes it hard for young entrepreneurs to break through.

Conrad Black's conviction on fraud in a United States' court reflects the attitude of some of the rich who think they are above the law.  As owners of huge international empires, they no longer have allegiance to any country nor any people.

See Media reaction to Black verdict http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6899819.stm

Born in Montreal, Canada, Black gave up his Canadian citizenship to become a British peer.  As a young man in his twenties, he began to buy up newspapers so that at one point he was the third largest media owner in the world, his huge press empire situated mainly in the United States, Britain and Canada.

He was described as ruthless, considering his strategies as part of a battle plan.  It was his "combative approach" that led to his actions resulting in charges that he stole close to $70 million dollars from investors of Hollinger International.

In this week's message, Congressman Ron Paul wrote: "I believe there is no way to square our nation's traditions and reverence for independence with the globalist policies [America's] elites are currently pursuing. The American concept of independent nationhood inscribed in our Declaration cannot be maintained if we are going to pursue a policy that undermines the independence of other nations. National independence is an idea, and the erosion of the independence of other nations only serves to erode that idea."

On this July 4th let's recommit to following George Washington's advice to avoid foreign entanglements. Rather than attempting to spread democracy throughout the world by the sword as the current administration is doing, we should show by example how our Republican form of government can benefit other nations. Let us return to the values de Tocqueville found when he visited the United States some 200 years ago. These values included hard work, a sense of egalitarianism, and individualism that led to independence.