Showing posts with label Governor Andrew Cuomo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Governor Andrew Cuomo. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Media: How Dishonesty Distorts Political Discourse

honesty-is-the-first-chapter-in-the-book-of-wisdom
When political socialites hear quotes from the media, we jump into action.  We all know who the political socialites are; they are people like me, who scour the internet seeking information and engaging in political arguments at every turn.  We rely on the 24 hour news cycle for a constant feed to our addiction.  If we see information we agree or disagree with, we Tweet, Digg, Stumble, Facebook, Post, Repost, Forward, Google +, Reddit, Pin It, Press it, Tumble and more it.

The problem is, what if the media who reports this information is inaccurate, or worse yet, dishonest about the information they are reporting?  If the media cannot serve as the filter, then whom can we rely upon? Ourselves and nothing more.  When quotes are taken out of context, it warps political dialogue and accomplishes little other than angering the opposition or firing up your base. Apparently, political socialites have a base as well; they are the followers, Tweeps, Likers, you get the picture.  Before we spread the fire, understand what we are spreading.  There are simple things we can do to improve the flow of information and opinions:

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

"Extremists" No Longer Welcome in New York

After the outlandish statements made by Governor Cuomo, one cannot help but think about the people who are not welcome.  According to Governor Cuomo, the problem is extremists.
"Their problem is not me and the Democrats; their problem is themselves," he said. "Who are they? Are they these extreme conservatives who are right-to-life, pro-assault-weapon, anti-gay? Is that who they are? Because if that’s who they are and they’re the extreme conservatives, they have no place in the state of New York, because that’s not who New Yorkers are."
right-wind-extremistWho are these extremists?  Cuomo points out the right to life crowd.  According to Gallup, this would mean that 58% of Americans are no longer welcome in New York. If 58% of Americans hold this position, where is the "extreme" part of the equation?
extremist
The other extremists are the pro-assault-weapon crowd.  It is hard to find statistics on "pro-assault-weapon" people in the US.   So, let's just assume, for argument sake that 50% of America believes in the 2nd Amendment.  According to the new Economist/YouGov poll, 39% of American households now admit to having a gun in their home.  Keep in mind, gun owners are often wary of offering this type of information.