May. 25, 2003 - 23:10 MDT

THE WONDERING JEW

Whither News

An article in the Sunday paper business section today by Anne C. Mulkern of the Denver Post Washington Bureau - May 25, 2003 Titled "Broadcasters send signals on new rules with lobbying,"seems to be quite factual without grinding axes. It is a long article giving the figures for the last four years of lobbying and political contributions as well as going into detail.

She says at the start, "The nation's most powerful broadcasters spent more than $68 million the past four years lobbying lawmakers and federal agencies."

Further she says, "They doled out another $13.4 million in political contributions since 1997, buying the ability to play golf with congressional leaders and join lawmakers at private resort getaways."

Next week they will learn if it was money well spent."

She has about a page delineating various actions of groups here and there, but I think the nitty gritty is in what I just put in.

Lobbying to my mind has always been suspect. Special interest groups, businesses and others spend great amounts of money to make sure that legislation goes the way they wish it to. Seems to me that it is like paying the judge beforehand for a favorable ruling in a case concerning the interested party.

Seems to me also that PAC's were looked down on where unions were concerned, but PAC's were the working man's lobbyists I think. But, you know, if we do that, it is all wrong !

The way things seem to be going I do truly wonder just how long we will be allowed to go vote ! And how much weight each ballot will have while we still can vote.

In other matters on the home front, Heather and I attended a party where two birthdays were celebrated and an important announcement made. The last grandchild of ours who is childless (not counting the one who will remain so) at the moment announced the impending birth of their child in about five months.

I am not real sure, will check with Heather tomorrow, but with the coming addition the great grand child census in our family will be in the order of 13. Then the progeny of two kids from the former marriage of the mate of one of our daughters adds four more great grandchildren. Grand total 17.

I hope they have the freedom to grow up, live and be happy as we have been able to do.

Is it a Will o' the Wisp ? Whither News ? . . . . . . . . . .

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