Have you noticed how monotonous commercial broadcasting has become? I do not gain comfort from hearing the same broadcasts, the same pre-packaged news programs, or the same disk jockeys and stale music no matter where I travel across the nation.
The reason behind the decline in programming diversity resulted from replacement of the Communications Act of 1934 during the mid-1990s.
Although originally formulated to allow domination of the airwaves by a few broadcasters, the act had been modified to foster competition. During the 1970s and 1980s, laws were put in place that limited the number of media outlets any one company could own or control within a local market. These limits were established to foster competition, to support free speech and to guarantee that the American public had access to different points of view, especially those of a political nature. However, during the last decade of the 20th century, these laws were reversed. Changes were made that have allowed re-emergence of the broadcast conglomerates to again dominate local and national markets.
As a result of this concentration of power, the majority of AM, FM and TV broadcast stations in many "markets" may now owned by one company. In some locations, even the daily newspaper may be owned by the same company that owns the majority of the commercial broadcast stations! These companies and their owners can exert an enormous influence on politics and your everyday life.
The news, information and entertainment that you receive is carefully planned, packaged and delivered based on the views and interests of the few companies that control the broadcast media. What will be the consequences to you, democracy and the future of the United States? Which is worse, government domination of the media or domination of the media by a few commercial conglomerates? Neither is desirable!
The following URLs link to related articles and commentary.
Historical perspective:
What changed in the 1996 Telecom Act?
Winners and Losers
The Road Ahead - (search on broadcasting)
Info Wars - Alternative theories, news talk hype or truth? What do you "need" to know?
Actions taken to reduce cost and increase profitability:
More challenges in the future - worldwide satellite digital broadcasting!
Politics and Broadcasting
What does the future hold? Will a few huge companies dominate broadcasting worldwide? What will this mean for the average person? Will we be subject to endless propaganda to be manipulated like a herd of cattle? And if so, for whose gain?
The trend in the United States over the last several decades has been toward increased centralization of power and wealth, not only in the broadcast media, but in society overall. Changes in laws were made under the pretext that American companies had to be larger in order to survive competition from overseas. As a result, we have seen good paying manufacturing jobs move outside the borders of the United States. We have also seen uncontrolled migration into the United States, including not only immigrants who would accept minimum wage jobs, but also low paid high-tech so-called "guest workers" to replace college educated middle and upper middle class American workers. These foreign guest workers are at the mercy of their employers and can be easily exploited. But to whose gain? Yours? Mine? Stockholders? Company executives?
Jobs in high-tech industry were supposed to replace jobs lost in the manufacturing sector. Many of those who lost jobs in the manufacturing and telecom sectors are now working in the service sector, flipping hamburgers or working for large retailers selling foreign manufactured goods for near or not much more than minimum wage.
Another casualty, the U.S. steel industry, is on the verge of extinction. Recently, some in Congress even recommended opening up U.S. defense acquisitions to overseas manufacturers, something that has already occurred on a limited basis (e.g., berets for our military are manufactured in China). What happens if supply lines are broken or the "host" country decides not to sell to the U.S. and the manufacturing capability has disappeared and been lost within the U.S.?
U.S. utility businesses are being "de-regulated". Restrictions on their investments have been removed. Many are making questionable overseas investments instead of investing within U.S. borders. Is this an enlightened free market move or is it another way to bleed capital from the U.S.? Large corporations who want to move manufacturing out of the U.S. must have low cost energy to compliment low cost labor. How better to finance these ventures than with the support of the U.S. utility companies. Again, who is the winner and where will the eventual decline occur?
Are we seeing market forces rewarding efficiency or are we seeing greed and deception succeed?
Information (and the control of information) may be an advantage during the "Third Wave", but quality of life for the individual depends on a living wage. Houses must still be built and bought. Goods must still be manufactured and purchased. Wages must still be earned and paid in order for the Middle Class to remain vibrant and viable. Otherwise, the country will eventually deteriorate into a volatile polarization of the extremely wealthy and the poor.
I don't know if these actions represent a well coordinated conspiracy or a convergence of somewhat unrelated factors, such as rampant greed. But the eventual outcome will be negative for individual Americans and for the nation as a whole!
One must also ask whether there is any real difference between the Democrats and the Republicans. Both the Clinton and the Bush administrations were and are fully in support of "globalism". Will the drive toward a one world federal government result in domination of the world by American values or by domination of the world by international conglomerates and super corporations with no national allegiance, control of politicians and only their self interests in mind?
Why do people riot at World Bank meetings?
It's interesting to see the police and demonstrators in conflict on the street, both likely being from the same or similar socio-economic levels, while the Globalist likely watch and laugh.
Are you a high tech worker who is out of work. Check this out:
http://www.HireAmericanCitizens.org/
Read more about the h1b program, which allows U.S. companies to hire foreign high tech workers for domestic jobs.
More on the International Monetary Fund
Another item of interest is the debate on Global Warming. One must look at the Kyoto Accord, with its favorable treatment of "third world developing economies" and unfavorable treatment of "developed polluting economies", under the light of globalism. The Kyoto Accord directly favors the movement of manufacturing from the U.S. and other western nations to the so-called third world. Was the Kyoto Accord a real attempt to stem global warming or another tactic in the strategy to move manufacturing from expensive western labor markets to lower cost, less regulated locations in "third world countries"? Regardless, the side effect will be to weaken the U.S. and the west.
The fact is that world climate has always varied and will likely continue to change and go through cycles. Based on scientific studies, the world climate would have been warming now whether or not human influence was present. For more, see my page on Global Warming.
If you tire of playing games or surfing for surfing's sake, take a look at the make-up of the boards of major corporations. You may be amazed by the incestuous relationships.
Excerpts from past thoughts (1998):
Bank savings accounts, while federally insured, offer no real growth when compared to inflation. Actually, many banks pay less interest than that required to keep up with inflation, so you actually lose money! But, the big banks charge interest on loans that varies from 5 to 20+ times the inflation rate.
People are encouraged to invest for retirement in the mostly uninsured stock market, either through IRAs or regular stock accounts.
Today, stock market speculation runs rampant. The difference between investing in the stock market and gambling at the roulette wheel is hard to discern.
Government regulation of banks and financial institutions, established in reaction to factors that led to the Great Depression of the 1930s, is being reduced or removed.
Financial power is again being centralized and concentrated in the hands of the greedy, in the name of globalism and competition.
Good paying manufacturing jobs, which were the basis for establishment of a large U.S. middle class, have been and are being moved from the U.S. to escape environmental, safety and minimum wage regulations as well as unions that have overpriced the worth of some labor categories.
Top tier managers of the companies who have abandoned the American worker are being rewarded with "free trade zones", extravagant bonuses and stock option plans, as they suck the wealth from the middle class.
Slash and burn techniques (layoffs and plant closures) to achieve short term bottom line results and obtain maximum "performance" based incentives and bonuses for top management are now the norm.
Building for the long term is out of vogue.
Companies are methodically shedding traditional retirement obligations to employees.
Many employees have reacted by becoming mercenary, refusing to be taken in by the illusion of company loyalty, jumping jobs to the highest bidder like free agents.
"Franchise players" are a becoming a thing of the past.
The mobile upper echelon of workers now have no real commitment to their communities. Political apathy abounds. Who cares? Most will move every two years or so. So who's left minding the store?
Foreign powers and interests illegally fund and influence our top politicians with impunity.
Welfare programs are being reduced.
Financial polarization between the rich and the poor is accelerating.
Family farms are disappearing as the old people die and their children move to the cities.
The small town agricultural heartland of America is steadily disintegrating and being replaced by large corporate farming giants and worked primarily by low paid and often illegal immigrants.
Low priced agricultural products laced with residues of insecticides and chemicals that were outlawed in the U.S. are being imported with impunity.
Personal debt is at record levels as banks and lenders push easy credit and second mortgages.
Are we achieving the ultimate in economic efficiency, or is the balloon of prosperity about to burst? Only time will tell.
But, you've got to ask yourself, what happens to your retirement and your future if the balloon bursts and the bottom falls out of the stock market and the economy? And, for the new young upper middle class, you've also got to ask yourself what you will do if your cushy information age job goes away.
Youth is being bombarded by a conglomerate dominated media that actively promotes deviate life-styles, casual sex, that religion is a joke, live for the moment, to hell with tomorrow. But to what end? A mobile workforce? Or a populace with individuals in disarray, with no plans or hope for the future who are so distracted by their personal problems that they don't notice the insidious changes? Such a populace can be easily manipulated through the controlled mass media.
Plan for your future and your children's future.
Change to a long term view of life and include future generations in your plans.
Forget the push to live for the moment. Build for the future. To do otherwise will mean an eventual return to serfdom and poverty - reasons many of our ancestors left Europe and other regions of the Old World to build a better life in America. Invest wisely and consistently.
Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom.
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Last revised: February 10, 2007