Page 6 May 1, 2014 One Man’s Opinion Another Man’s Opinion By Gerry Chong Just went a’flippin’ through the papers this morning, hoping against hope that this is the day…. the one day the government that wants to make all decisions for us individually, can finally do something right. My good old boy buddy from Texas often laughed and said, “Even a blind pig finds an acorn once in a while” so keep your hopes up. Maybe today is the day. Anyway, on to page one: it seems President Obama said he would respond to the Ukrainian crisis in a measured way, with no boots on the ground. Well, guess what? Today the Pentagon announced 6,000 U.S. paratroopers would be sent to Eastern Europe in response to the crisis. Maybe these troops won’t wear boots, thus rationalizing the president’s prior message. Seems to me most people would want a president to respond in a clear and unequivocal way, but this president wants to so nuance his message that there is no meaningful message. Well, on to page two we go. The IRS had given $2.8 million in bonuses to 2,800 employees who had not paid their income taxes. While that is a violation of federal law, it is not a violation in the union contract so the government must enter a grievance procedure with the union to require employees pay income taxes. Otherwise they can keep their bonuses for their good work. Now to news about the environment: Having tracked cows for years, the EPA has concluded methane is a greenhouse gas that pollutes the environment, and that cow flatulence is a major source of methane. In late March the EPA has proposed cutting methane by 25% by 2020, no doubt laying the groundwork for a new federal law requiring cows to conduct themselves in a more ladylike manner. After all, the human race depends on it. Flip the page again to state and local news: 26 states have found a win-win solution to the growing cost of paying for their prison population while promoting government health insurance. First, prisoners are enrolled in Medicaid so their costs are transferred to the Feds. Then when prisoners are released they will be automatically enrolled to a healthcare plan at taxpayer cost. Voila! Fewer uninsured people so it’s a “two-fer”one winner. And finally, on to the last page of the paper: The Cato Institute released its report entitled “The Work versus Welfare Tradeoff,” which concluded that in 35 states welfare paid more than the minimum wage, and in some places like Hawaii, welfare paid over $60,000 per year! Yet, The New York Times bemoans the fact that the poor and middle class are falling behind the rest of the world in per capita revenue. Clearly the solution to poverty is to raise the minimum wage to the level of welfare. Oh, well, I’ll just throw today’s paper in the trash, and hope tomorrow we’ll see stories of the government’s successes. • In Need of Trustworthy News Outlets By Cristian Vasquez This week there has been a feud going on between two cable-television stars. Anchor of Comedy Central’s The Daily Show Jon Stewart and Fox News anchor Sean Hannity have been in the middle of an entertaining back-and-forth that was triggered by comments made by Stewart. Naturally, Hannity responded and now we have an entertaining exchange between one of the loudest conservative voices on television and one of the funniest late-night comedians on TV. As funny as it is to see Stewart and his team of writers tear Hannity apart one clip at a time, it is a reminder that the biggest sources of news for Americans are beyond inefficient. In honor of full transparency, I will admit that I am not a fan of Fox News. They are irresponsible in using fear to reinforce conservative principals with their viewers, with absolute disregard for honesty. Also, I do enjoy The Daily Show because it makes fun of the absurd flaws in the media, among conservatives and liberals, and anything pop culture related. Yet, this exchange highlights what a short attention span we have as a society and the desperate need for real fair and balanced news. Considering MSNBC, Fox News, or even CNN, as unbiased, fair, or balanced news sources is a horrible mistake. The truth is that when a 30-minute news satire can accurately ridicule and highlight the hypocrisy and inefficiency in our major news outlets, then we have a huge problem. In this world of the 24-hour news cycle, a half-an-hour comedy show is infinitely better at sorting out the lies and propaganda packaged by these news outlets. However, because Stewart and his staff of writers are in it for the comedy and entertainment value of things, they are not the answer to this lack of efficient information. The Daily Show’s writers compile some great investigative pieces that are informative and worth the 30-minute investment each night, four times a week, 40 weeks out of the year. Still, the show airs on a network that is home to comedian Daniel Tosh and his collection of internet videos featuring people falling off roofs, getting hit by cars or anything resembling a typical frat party on a Saturday night. So we have to take their programming for what it is: entertainment. The frustrating thing is that the biggest news outlets that exist on cable television are a failure. They fail to simply provide the news and instead serve to promote liberal or conservative agendas. MSNBC is to the liberals what Fox News is to conservatives: a source of information meant to reaffirm their beliefs and biases. So instead of giving us quality news coverage, productive analysis of events, or constructive criticism of any sort, these news agencies provide all of the material needed for The Daily Show to succeed. I am sure the Hannity/Stewart feud will eventually settle down; each side will believe they won the feud but Americans will continue to lack a dependable news source. • “In 35 states welfare paid more than the minimum wage, and in some places like Hawaii, welfare paid over $60,000 per year!” “Also, I do enjoy The Daily Show because it makes fun of the absurd flaws in the media, among conservatives and liberals, and anything pop culture related.” Burkley & Brandlin LLP A T T O R N E Y S A T L AW Living Trusts/Wills, Probate, Employment Law, Personal Injury Trust and Estates Litigation, Business Litigation, Civil Litigation 310-540-6000 *AV Rated (Highest) Martindale - Hubbell / **Certified Specialist Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law, State Bar of California, Board of Legal Specialization Mother’s Day is May 11th 33%o Enjoy * “Mother’s Day Spectacular” Bouquet with FREE chocolates Feminine and full of color, this bouquet is perfect to wow any Mom in your life! 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Manhattan 5_1_14
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