If Deficits Don't Matter, Why Do We Have To Pay Taxes?

In a perfect world every time a Krugman or a Reich told us deficits did not matter, a member of the news media would follow up with the question that begs with a shiny silver cup, "If deficits don't matter, why do we have to pay taxes? Why do we need an IRS? Why does the IRS hound people with offshore bank accounts? If deficits don't matter, why bother with any revenue at all?"

But we don't live in a perfect world and the corrupt news media all-stars are paid six, seven and even eight figures to refrain from asking the questions that beg to be asked. But it would be nice if someone asked such questions, wouldn't it?

 I can dream, can't I?

Media Monday: Robert Reich is a Chronically Dishonest Human Being.

I still hold the opinion that the very best book written about the news media is "The Myth of Heterosexual AIDS." I sometimes wish that Michael Fumento had chosen a different title. The book was not one of the many AIDS conspiracy/alternative theory slush piles that afflicted the early 90's. "The Myth..." was an analysis of the media coverage of the AIDS epidemic.

If there is only one thing to be learned (and there is more than one thing to be learned) from reading this masterpiece, it is that the media, and people in general, can radically distort the truth without telling a single overt lie. Lies can be easily refuted. Not so half-truths and willful omissions of significant details. For instance, the media echo chamber chanted the "Heterosexuals are the fastest growing group of AIDS victims" slogan. What they deleted was the foot note that immigrants who contracted the disease abroad were automatically classified as heterosexual. An important omission of detail.

As much as I would prefer that Fumento called the book something other than "The Myth of Heterosexual AIDS" the controversy surrounding the book would ultimately confirm a point that Fumento was trying to make. Namely, that political correctness is more important than truth for the news media. I am not sure that a day goes by when the press sacrifices truth on the altar of political correctness. Social Security is a legally sanctioned and socially sanctioned pyramid scheme. But the press will not acknowledge that it is a giant Ponzi schme beacuse it is legally and socially sanctioned. Political correctness wins again.

"The Myth..." promotes a tragic flaw of human communication. Sadly, it takes more verbiage, more time, and more energy to refute a falsehood than to promote a falsehood. As compelling as Fumento's magnum opus happened to be, it did not compete with the mighty roar of Oprah, the pitter patter of the Associated Press and the mindless parroting of every talking head in the electronic news media.

Robert Reich is the embodiment of all that is wrong with the media that Fumento exposed eighteen years ago. Reich is the master of half truth and the following videos illustrate this. It bears emphasizing that the entire "the top X per cent have increased their wealth by Y..." is utter, unadulterated bullshit. That whole line of chatter is invalidated because indivuals move from one group to another. Reich omits the mobility factor. He knows he is being dishonest when he spreads this sort of part-truth. Honor means nothing to Reich. He reminds us of Falstaff:

'...honour pricks
me on. Yea, but how if honour prick me off when I
come on? how then? Can honour set to a leg? no: or
an arm? no: or take away the grief of a wound? no.
Honour hath no skill in surgery, then? no. What is
honour? a word. What is in that word honour? what
is that honour? air. A trim reckoning! Who hath it?
he that died o' Wednesday. Doth he feel it? no.
Doth he hear it? no. 'Tis insensible, then. Yea,
to the dead. But will it not live with the living?
no. Why? detraction will not suffer it. Therefore
I'll none of it. Honour is a mere scutcheon...'

Of course Falstaff is more endearing than the King of Economic Snake Oil.

Fumento wrote about political correctness and was tormented by the PC police.Reich might be bogus, but his verbiage is always politically correct. Always. Always. Always. Thus, he will always have access to media.

And lastly, Reich confirms what Fumento illustrated long ago about the ease of promoting falsehood versus the difficulty of refuting falsehood. Last I checked Reich's vid had over 1.3 million hits on Youtube alone (and it has been distributed elsewhere.) Murphy has about 28,000 Youtube hits and Doren has about 48,000. Reich piles it high and deep in two minutes and fifteen seconds. It takes Doren over twice as long to refute and it takes Murphy over four times as long to challenge three points. Advantage false witness.

IT IS EASIER TO DISPENSE FALSEHOOD THAN TO REFUTE FALSEHOOD

ROBERT P. MURPHY VS. REICH

BONUS TRACK: THE ANTAGONISTS POINT BY POINT

THE SECRETARY HAS NO CLOTHES! EEE-GADS!

Reich is a malignant tumor on the body of truth.

Media Monday: 'Regulation' Becomes The New Magic Word

Try this at home. This is from Tony Robbins himself. The word "because" is a magic word. You want to cut in front of everyone standing in queue at the copy machine. If you give them a reason to let you cut in line and your reason begins with the word "because" the copy people will allow you to cut in line. Whereas, if you just say "can I cut in line?" the answer will usuually be "No!"

What is interesting is that it doesn't matter all that much what verbiage follows "because." Everyone at the copier might be late with their deadline but "...because I am late with my deadline" will probably work like a key in a padlock. "Because" is a magic word. Try it.

"Regulation" is the new magic word. You can bet that it has been focus group-tested and has outperformed words like "control," "dominate," "crush" and "obliterate." If morality aand honesty have no merit at all (and those things mean nothing to Maddow, Reich and MSNBC) then one should use the words "regulate" and "regulation" as frequently as possible. Large portions of their viewing audience will support greater regulation, better regulation, tighter regulation regardless of their knowledge of the current regulatory environment. Magic words.



IT'S FASTER THAN 'HI BOB.' EVERY TIME THEY SAY "REGULATION" WE ALL TAKE A SWIG

Portrait of the Bigot as an Old Man

Can you believe this guy was Secretary of LABOR!!!!
With friends like these...