Let the Media Fairness Doctrine stay dead

There has been talk recently, mainly among democratic lawmakers, of reviving the Media Fairness Doctrine in an effort to combat “conservative dominance” of the broadcast media, particularly talk radio.  Without going into the constitutionality of the doctrine I believe it is unnecessary and counter-productive for democrats to be spending their time on this.  The MFD was basically put aside during the 1980’s when cable became a larger player in television because now people had more choice in the stations they watched.  The whole purpose of the MFD was to make sure that opposing viewpoint could be heard because of the very limited choice people had in their media sources.  It was put aside in the 80’s because it was no longer necessary.  A few large firms could no longer dominate the airwaves.

In today’s word of almost infinite media choices what possible reason could we have for bringing the MFD back?  It’s not like there are two or three major broadcast networks keeping liberal opinion off the airwaves.  The reason conservative opinion is so pervasive on the radio is because people listen to it.  There simply isn’t enough demand for liberal talk radio or else it would be just as big as Rush Limbaugh.  Remeber Al Franken’s now defunct Air America?  It’s off the air because no one listened to it, not because of a vast conservative conspiracy to stymie public debate.  The Media Fairness Doctrine was put in place during a time of limited broadcast access and news sources to make sure multiple opinions were heard.  In today’s world of blogs, cable news, and RSS readers the MFD is simply unnecessary.

Give It A Rest…

The Gristmill blog had an interesting post today about how oil companies are resorting to “extortion” to keep renewable energy bills from going through Congress by warning that government mandates reducing gasoline consumption by 20% may force them to re-evaluate planned refinery expansions.

Does David Roberts really think that oil industry executive is going to sit there and say “Oh gee, let me invest billions of dollars in projects that you are actively making less profitable for me so you can continue to pander to your constituents who don’t understand basic economics. Sure thing! I’ll even smile at you from the unemployment line when the board and shareholders fire me for being such a bonehead!”?

This isn’t extortion; it’s business. If a project becomes less profitable because of government action companies will have to look at whether or not it’s still a good idea. Cheap gasoline is not a right in this country no matter how much people want it to be or how much politicians imply that it is. Oil companies should not be vilified for making smart business decisions in the face of legislation directly aimed at reducing its sales by one fifth.

Besides, who said high gas prices were such a bad thing? High gas prices force people to re-prioritize, hopefully cut back on their consumption, and give alternatives a second look. When prices got really high in the wake of Katrina I traded in my gas-guzzling SUV for a station wagon and started riding the bus 20 miles to school instead of driving. Now that I live in Seattle I ride my bike to work most days and will mostly take to bus to work starting next week when I start my new job. I just don’t want to have to pay that much to drive. We need to start weening ourself off gasoline and focusing on alternatives and high gas prices are a great way to start.

Give Me A Reason To Vote For You

I was reading a story today about how Democratic Presidential candidates are hurting their chances in the general election because of their pandering to the left in the nomination process. The only thing I could think was “DUH! You can’t get nominated by the far left by saying things that appeal to moderates and right-wingers.”  The problem is that you can’t get a moderate candidate nominated by either party because both are beholden to extremists.  Why can’t we have an election like other countries where we can vote for whoever and if no one gets more than 50% of the vote we have a two candidate run-off between the top two vote getters?

The election is still almost a year and a half away and I’m already sick of it. I’m not sick of it because I’m burned out and tired of hearing the debates. I’m sick of it because 90% of what you hear is why you shouldn’t vote for so-and-so.  I don’t want to not vote for someone.  Stop giving me reasons to NOT vote for someone.  Give me reasons to vote FOR someone.  I’m sick of the least common denominator.

Maybe China Has The Right Idea

So China is now placing a moritorium on producing bio-fuel from food crops amid concerns that it is driving up the prices of just about every other food product out there. (link here) China with its population of more than 1 billion people has a tougher time feeding its population than the US does but it seems kinda funny that China would see through the ethanol hype before US politicians.

The end of the article has some fun facts about ethanol, some of which I guess are supposed to be in support of continued ethanol use and promotion. One in particular struck me: the fact that ethanol produces 18-29% lower GHG emissions per gallon than fossil fuels. What is ignored is that the lower energy content of ethanol reduces gas mileage by a significant amount, some anecdotal evidence suggesting as much as 30-40%. If that is the case than using ethanol would actually produce MORE greenhouse gases than conventional gasoline (but don’t tell that to the industrial farmers getting rich off higher corn prices). If anyone has any specific studies that have looked into this I would love to see them (just post a link in the comments).

Can Someone Send Me Some of That Newfangled Global Warming Stuff?

Obviously the title of this post is meant as a joke.  Seriously, it’s June 7th.  Yesterday John and I were foiled in our attempt to climb Mt. Defiance because the path was completely covered over with snow.  As an alternative we backtracked and climbed Bandera Mountain instead and were greeted with about an inch of FRESH snow for the last several hundred vertical feet to the summit (actually a false summit, but we weren’t about to make a half mile scramble in fresh snow, fog, high winds, and sub-40 degree temperatures).  On monday we were forced to scramble up the ridge to the summit of Granite Mountain because the trail was also completely buried under many feet of snow.

I love being outside, I love hiking, and I love standing on the top of mountains.  But I wish this snow would melt a little faster and help open up these great hikes in the cascades a little faster.