Media War!

Many of you understand the passion I have for the media doing it's job. While bloggers like myself express their opinions, I feel it's the media's responsibility to remain un bias and report the events without opinion, kind of like the late Walter Cronkite used to do. He was a committed liberal but his political position never was reflected when he presented a story. So here's my beef.......

The AP reported on the passage of the vote to debate healthcare in the Senate yesterday. Let's look at the script as it went out over the wire.

By DAVID ESPO, AP Special Correspondent David Espo, Ap Special Correspondent – 2 mins ago
WASHINGTON – Invoking the name of Edward M. Kennedy, Democrats united Saturday night to push historic health care legislation past a key Senate hurdle over the opposition of Republicans eager to inflict a punishing defeat on President Barack Obama. There was not a vote to spare.

Mind you, I'm going to reflect my bias here but I think it's obvious Mr Espo has misrepresented the Republican party here. I'm hopeful their dissenting votes were not out of spite, but a reflection of how disastrous this legislation would be for the country. Maybe some of them even realized this is authority not granted by the Constitution. Yet he insists on taking a pot shot at the group, and injecting his bias into the report. He goes on to say......

The 60-39 vote cleared the way for a bruising, full-scale debate beginning after Thanksgiving on the legislation, which is designed to extend coverage to roughly 31 million who lack it, crack down on insurance company practices that deny or dilute benefits and curtail the growth of spending on medical care nationally.

Now he comes across here ^ as factual and un bias, but I have to unleash some overlooked facts while the opportunity presents itself. 31 million uninsured is less than 10% of the population, (we have it reported 330,000,000 people reside in America), so after spending $1.2 trillion dollars to correct that, this bill reportedly covers 94% of the population. Six of the less than ten percent are yet uncovered. Is that really a wise way to spend $1.2 trillion dollars? I mean you'd think everyone would be covered then, not just and additional 4%. Would it be unreasonable to expect that? Just my little side bar, and the rest of the report reads.....

The spectator galleries were full for the unusual Saturday night showdown, and applause broke out briefly when the vote was announced. In a measure of the significance of the moment, senators sat quietly in their seats, standing only when they were called upon to vote.

Republican Sen. George Voinovich of Ohio missed the vote.

He finished the article as he should have begun it, with just the facts. Speculating the motive for the Republican dissent isn't factual, nor is it good reporting. He's a wire service employee, not a political pundit. Even my little rant on this ordeal is based on mathematical facts.

God Bless
Capt. Bill