AMERICAN MEDIA LIES AND GOVERNMENT OUTRAGES

Blogger's Note: The first video below pertains to my first post of the day, i.e., the media (and Gov Walker) lying about the alleged higher pay and better perks of public workers.

The second video is an absolute horror story of a judge convicted of taking millions of dollars in bribes for sending thousands of innocent teenagers to for-profit jails.

ThisBoyTV


March 3, 2011
"Really Bad Reporting in Wisconsin": Media Parroting Walker’s False Claims of Taxpayer "Subsidies" for Workers’ Pensions

In their coverage of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s attempt to undermine public workers’ unions, many journalists have parroted Walker’s claim that unionized state workers get their pensions "subsidized" by the state. We speak with investigative reporter and Pulitzer Prize-winner David Cay Johnston, who counters the assertion that pensions are costing taxpayers by pointing out that the workers themselves contribute 100 percent in deferred compensation. Johnson’s latest article is called, "Really Bad Reporting in Wisconsin: Who 'Contributes' to Public Workers’ Pensions?" [original + transcript]

ThisBoyTV


February 17, 2011
Penn. Judges Get Kickbacks for Placing Youths in Privately Owned Jails

An unprecedented case of judicial corruption is unfolding in Pennsylvania. Several hundred families have filed a class-action lawsuit against two former judges who have pleaded guilty to taking bribes in return for placing youths in privately owned jails. Judges Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan are said to have received $2.6 million for ensuring juvenile suspects were jailed in prisons operated by the companies PA Child Care and a sister company, Western PA Child Care. Some of the youths were jailed over the objections of their probation officers. An estimated 5,000 juveniles have been sentenced by Ciavarella since the scheme started in 2002. We speak to two youths sentenced by Ciavarella and to Bob Schwartz of the Juvenile Law Center. [original + transcript]

SOME SLANTS ON OBAMA'S STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS THAT YOU MAY NOT HAVE HEARD ON NETWORK TV

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January 26, 2011


Obama Calls for Spending Freeze, Lowering Corporate Taxes in State of the Union

President Obama delivered his second State of the Union address last night.
Speaking before a newly divided Congress, Obama said the United States was in a 21st century version of the space race and in a global competition to create jobs in science and research. Obama focused much of his speech on the issue of jobs and proposed a number of deficit-cutting measures, including a five-year freeze in spending on some domestic programs.



Consumer Advocate Joan Claybrook and Former Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson Respond to State of the Union

President Obama began his second State of the Union address by paying tribute to Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona but did not address the issue of gun control. He spoke about the need for clean energy but did not mention the word "climate" once in his address. He talked about the economy but never mentioned foreclosures. We get response on Obama’s the State of the Union speech with longtime consumer advocate Joan Claybrook and the former mayor of Salt Lake City, Rocky Anderson, who is now director of High Road for Human Rights.



Dr. Atul Gawande Compares Obama’s "Frustrating" Record on Healthcare Reform and LBJ’s Leadership in Passing Medicare

In his State of the Union address, President Obama defended his healthcare overhaul and invited Republicans to help him move forward with essential fixes to the law. We hear from Dr. Atul Gawande, a surgeon at Brigham and Woman’s Hospital in Boston, staff writer at The New Yorker magazine and an associate professor at Harvard Medical School. "There’s leadership needed to give meaning to the policies for the public and to explain what the value is," Gawande says. "Obama] allowed the opponents to brand every one of those policies as failures, even though they passed."



Harry Belafonte on Obama: "He Plays the Game that He Plays Because He Sees No Threat from Evidencing Concerns for the Poor"

We speak with legendary singer, actor, humanitarian and activist, Harry Belafonte. "I think [Obama] plays the game that he plays because he sees no threat from evidencing concerns for the poor," Belafonte says. "He sees no threat from evidencing a deeper concern for the needs of black people, as such. He feels no great threat from evidencing a greater policy towards the international community, for expressing thoughts that criticize the American position on things and turns that around. Until we do that, I think we will be forever disappointed in what that administration will deliver."