Common Ground

Dangerous Appointments

Posted by Steve Bukosky on Aug. 28, 2009

Hot Topics, Obama, Politics-National

Sometimes I feel badly not concentrating on local topics. Oh I've been tempted about things like rebuilding the zoo interchange and light rail, high speed rail or whatever people wanting to move forward to the past want. It's about forcing us to live as they wish and not as we want to live. It's about forcing us to pay for their desires even if we want no part of them. But all of that pales to the bigger picture.

You see, people who enabled the big experiment in government are having a change in heart. To those in government who are part of the big experiment, they see the shift in their support and are lighting fires as fast as they can get away with it. Rhetoric about transparency in government clashes with forcing radical changes through either under the table or so fast that we don't know what happened until it's too late.  President Obama wanted an August deadline to get HR3200 passd. Fortunately enough questions and uncertainties were raised to hold it up until that which he wanted hidden finally became known to the people. Don't let them fool you. The Republicans cannot hold up voting or passing the bill. The Democrats have enough members in Congress to force it though. Fortunately, enough Democrats have hesitated, be it reasons of self interest come election time or for more noble reasons.

While this battle continues, another assault on freedom of speech is being waged. Let me quiz you. What country do you think of when I say the word czar? The first time I heard it in reference to America was when Bill Bennett was appointed as the so called drug czar of the country. In his case it was the law versus the drug problem. Few had issues with it.

We have had many appointments of czars in the Obama administration. Most of them came under the wire and under- reported. One recent appointment needs to be reported and every American needs to look at this one and think about it...and act. Remember the name Mark Lloyd.

I hope that you recognize what is called the "Fairness Doctrine". In a nutshell, it was hoped to be reinstated such that radio would have to have equal time for opposing viewpoints. Sort of like John Hightower (remember him?) or similar would have equal time on the stations carrying conservative talk shows. John had his show but few businesses (evil businesses no doubt) would sponsor him in the free enterprise market, he was canceled by most or all of his stations. Al Franken and Air American were the great liberal answer to Rush Limbaugh and his type, only to fall into bankruptcy due to lack of sponsors and private funds while Rush flies to golf outings in EIB1, his Gulfstream private jet, with cash left over to donate massive amounts to a childhood cancer research charity.

Enough attention has been made to this move, the Fairness Doctrine, that it has fallen to the wayside. But now an even more insidious move has been made. The appointment of Mark Lloyd as the FCC's Czar of Diversity.

So what does this mean. First of all, who is this new Czar? Google his name. You will find videos of him speaking admirably of Hugo Chavez and how his administration cracked down on the media in Venezuela that was against him. That should send shivers down your spine. His mission is to have corporate radio, we're talking stations like WTMJ and WISN, pay half, HALF of their revenue to the government to fund "Public Radio"!

Then there is the new Czar of Green Jobs. I can't repeat the things he has said in videos. You will have to find them yourself. His name is Van Jones. Please look into these people and decide if there is something very bad going on here.