The Washington Outsider

Celebrity “Journalists” and Political Gossip Are the Problem With the Media

4/28/2017

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Donald Trump’s First One Hundred Days in office and the White House Correspondents’ Dinner exemplify how obsessed professional news outlets have become with inconsequential events that they want to feature.  With President Trump refusing to attend the Correspondents' Dinner, the self-deprecating members of the Press core have been unleashed to saturate coverage of the glamorous over-indulgent affair with so much negative propaganda that the significance of the President’s absence will not scar the battered credibility of the Press.  As “the Oscars” of celebrity journalists, the Correspondents' Dinner highlights the reality that the processional media outlets is largely an arm of the political industry and dominated by American’s wealthy class, which enriches pundits based on their ability to promote agendas instead of talent and actual contributions to society.
 
The Correspondents’ Dinner also shows why the Media has increasingly failed to provide the American People the public service it is supposed to provide.  When the Media reports on the Oscars and all the A-list celebrities invited to the various celebrations surrounding the affair, it is called “entertainment news,” which is a sanitized way of saying celebrity gossip. When a celebrity is quoted, it peaks the interests of fans and tabloid subscribers, yet it is not considered newsworthy nor is it the work of serious journalists.  In fact, the more disreputable publishers of celebrity gossip are called “rags.”  When it comes to events like the Correspondents’ Dinner, this same type of coverage is called news.  In reality, it is little more than political gossip.  Beyond the Correspondents’ Dinner and the President’s First One Hundred Days, professional media outlets are becoming “rags” featuring political gossip and celebrity journalists instead of useful sources of valuable news.  

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Trump’s Pursuit of His Wall Says A Lot About His Tax Reform Effort and Other Priorities

4/26/2017

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Donald Trump’s proposed US-Mexican Border Wall has generated a great number of heated exchanges between anti-wall and pro-wall factions while producing a plethora of varying reaction across the political spectrum.  Although the ability of “the Wall” to keep criminal elements and illegal immigrates at bay is questionable, paying for Trump’s Wall, however, appears to be the most contentious aspect.  The Trump Administration’s attempt to hijack a standard funding bill to fund his Wall had even threatened to shut the federal government down.  In the scope of a nearly 4 trillion dollar budget, the Wall is a small line item, but the effort to circumvent public debate and short-circuit the legislative process has serious implications.  
 
Given the Trump Administration is also trying to press forward with major health and tax reforms, how it handles a Trump priority like the Wall says a great deal.  It appears the President may be more interested in his objectives instead of developing public policy solutions that address the collective interests of the America People.  Too often, elected officials impose public policy prescriptions, which are derived from their political rhetoric and the influence of special interests, onto the nation instead of engineering public policy solutions based on the input of those affected by the desired policy shifts.  Draining the swamp was Trump’s priority during the 2016 President Election, yet his push to find viable political strategies to reach his goals, e.g. the Wall and tax reforms, do not seem to even honor the right of the majority to be heard.

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North Korean Threat or Utopian Promise of Concentrated Power, Wealth?

4/24/2017

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War with North Korea has been a possibility since the 1953 Korean Armistice Agreement paused the Korean War.  Thanks to the end of the Cold War and the Kim regime’s pursuit of nuclear arms, the threat of armed conflict with the North has seasonably resurfaced then died away once world leaders and the global press find something else to hyperventilate about.  When the North torpedoed the South Korean warship Cheonan in March, 2010 and Pyongyang nullified the Armistice in March, 2013, the likelihood of war temporarily increased.  Nuclear tests have, of course, always tended to peak interest.  Until armed conflict starts with North Korea, it is always a possibility.  As time goes on and Pyongyang realizes advancements in its nuclear program, the threat of war grows ever more severe, but the likelihood of war remains the same until the threat is realized or disarmed.  
 
The analysis of the Korean threat has changed little over the years, but North Korea does offer the world a glimpse into a dsytopian society where the dream of concentrating power and wealth into the hands of a power elite has been fully realized.  A nightmare scenario for Americanized Peoples, who prefer opportunity over total socioeconomic security, North Korea is a place where the affluent control all aspects of life and government officials are worshiped as gods.  Like the perpetual threat of globalized terrorism, and previously Communism, Pyongyang has been forced by the threat of war to dominant its territory.  Wealth has been concentrated into the hands of the power elite who enjoy the privilege of that wealth.  These wealthy elites have every intention of allowing just enough wealth to trickle down to sustain the hungry masses, but hard and scary times demand sacrifice by the majority.  

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Paris Terrorist Attacks and the Motivation of Violent Criminals

4/21/2017

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Paris has experienced yet another terrorist attack.  Although terrorist attacks are regular occurrences in other corners of the world, where oppressive governments also tend to reign supreme with iron fists, the West is far more comfortable with gang shootings, murders of passion, and madman massacres.  If the victims of the Champs-Élysées shootings had simply been casualties of a criminal seeking revenge on the police and the collateral damage of a shootout, the tragedy would have provided the French media an interesting story for a couple of days.  Because the suspect was an ex-convict, who happened to be a terrorist suspect and likely supported the Islamic State, the media outlets and political figures of the West feel compelled to lead the world in a global panic and security crackdown.  
 
Violent crime, in general, plagues all communities of the world to varying degrees.  Terrorism is a particularly scary form of violent crime, because terrorists use seemingly random violence and the indiscriminate murder of innocent civilians to force their will onto society as a whole.  In modern society, violence is seen as a disruptive force that undermines the very fabric of communities and destroys the accomplishments of the human race.  The developed world has managed to suppress the violent side of human nature so well that events involving brutal and widespread destruction spark massive outrage and grievance throughout the International Community.  This is why Westerners struggle so much to understand why people are attracted to terrorism and the motivations behind acts of violence. 

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China’s Economy: The Big Score?

4/19/2017

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China has long been considered a great prize in the eyes of Westerners seeking to capitalize on the wealth of Asia.  Like the Americas, the colonial powers of Europe seized the land of the once-great and expansive Chinese Empire to feed their ever growing economies with a “free trade” style model.  Ultimately, the reliance on forced, exploitative trade over internal development of domestic industry proved to be a near fatal practice that almost meant the near collapse of France and Britain in the wake of the first World War.  Today, the wealthy capitalist investors and industrialists of the West look to China’s nearly 1.5 billion citizens for cheap labor and a new source of consumption.  In modern times, the nation of China, or at least the government of China, reaps major benefits from access to the global markets , which Beijing hopes to expand upon.
 
In an attempt to discourage the United States from raising tariffs to rebalance a massive and persistent trade deficit, for example, China has offered to lift a ban on US beef and allow foreign investors to own majority stakes in Chinese securities and insurance firms.  The growing wealth of the Chinese Peoples has made beef and pork more of staple than a luxury in the modern Chinese diet.  Sourcing these products from as many countries as possible helps satiate and secure Chinese demand for beef, even though the added global demand means higher prices for Americans.  Opening China’s financial sector to greater foreign investment will, however, do far more to enrich and empower Chinese investors as well as the government.  For foreign investors and the world’s population, there are many downsides to doing business with a Communist government that must be considered.

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      • Retooling the Grand Strategy of the International Community >
        • Recalibrating Our Foreign Policy Vision for a New Middle East
        • How the US Should Engage Political Revolt in the Middle East
      • The Fundamentals of Proper Government in the Middle East and North Africa
      • Implementation of Public Policy: Issues of Theory and Practice >
        • What Are Commonsense Regulations?
        • Should Public Health Be a Priority to the Governments of the World?
        • Dealing with the Ill-effects of Climate Change
        • Is National Security More Important Than Civil Rights?
        • Should the Government's First Priority Be to Protect Secrets or to Proactively Give Citizens Information?
      • The Sequestered US Government Needs a Therapist
    • Democracy >
      • An Essay on the Role of Government: Why Each Generation Must Define Democracy for Itself
      • Democracy and the Narrowing Power Elite
      • Assessing the Limits of Democracy
      • Do Americans value freedom?
      • Belittling Our Political Leaders
      • Defining "Liberal" and "Conservative"
      • Framing Issues Properly is an Important Political Tool >
        • Assessing US Elections Part I: Framing Issues Properly is an Important Political Tool
        • Assessing US Elections Part II: Focusing on the Economic Frame
        • Assessing US Elections Part III: Looking at the National Security and Military Frame
        • Assessing US Elections Part IV: Focusing on the Foreign Policy Frame
        • Assessing US Elections Part V: Evaluating Presidential Candidates
        • The Bipolar Nature of US Politics: Pros and Cons
      • Voting in Mid-term Elections: The Importance of the Congressional Vote
      • The Role of the Media in Politics >
        • Should the Government Control Talk Radio to Make it More "balanced"?
      • How the People Are Lost in the Extremes of 'Right' and 'Left' in Politics
      • Should One's Faith Influence a Citizen's Vote?
      • Should the U.S. Government Help Fund Election Campaigns?
      • On Defunding Political Science Research
    • Worldview >
      • Justice for All: The Case for Legal, Social, Economic, and Personal Justice
      • Why Hardliner Thinking in the NSA and CIA is Doing Damage
      • On the Baby Boomer’s Self-Centeredness
      • The Case for Personal Responsibility
      • What Modern Day Revolutionaries Need to Learn from Leader's like Mandela
      • Rising Western Acceptance of LGBT Primes Culture Clash
      • The Need for Wisdom Beyond the Numbers
      • Perceptions of the United States
      • How Honesty Relates to the Great Recession
      • Why the Middle Class and Rich Need to Support Their Long-term Interests
      • The Aristocratic Republic of the United States of America
      • Discussing the Need for Community Support
      • Why New Forms of Capitalism and Socialism Will Compliment Each Other
      • The Reason We Need to Understand What it is to Be Poor in America
      • Why the World Needs to Reinvest in America
      • Why Are We Against Terrorism?
      • Why Does Terrorism Exist?
      • US Influence: The Value of American Citizenship Around the World
      • Responding to "the Soldier as Sacrficial Victim"
    • Human Nature >
      • How comfort defines us as people >
        • Is Suicide a Cowardly Way Out?
      • Defense Against the Dark Arts of Manipulators
      • Defining Abuse >
        • On the Willing Victim of Abuse
        • How to Understand Abuse Victims
        • Recognizing Abuse
      • The Role of Substitution in Decision Making
      • Trying to Understand PTSD and Other Trauma-induced Mental Health Issues
      • Exploring Human Emotion >
        • Mental Illness is Not the Cause of Anger and Violence >
          • Trying to Understand the Boston Marathon Bombing and Other Violent Crimes
          • Getting into the Twisted Mind of the Tucson Murder
      • Describing the Mind as Modes of Thought >
        • It’s Just Sex?
      • Relationships, or Arrangement
      • Understanding the Effects of Groupthink in the Workplace
      • Relating Circular, Inductive, and Deductive Reasoning to the Scientific Method and Religion
      • What is a Redneck? Understanding Different Cultures and Thinking
    • Economics >
      • The Need for Greater Economic Leverage >
        • Evaluating NAFTA and TPP
        • Undercutting Logistics with the Underpaid Independent Contractor
        • Unions: Hindrance or Essential to Free Markets
        • Eminent Domain Used Against Banks
        • Haitians Sue the UN for Failure to Help With Cholera
        • Looking at How Corn-based Ethanol and Other Alternative Energy Subsidies Stack Up
      • Empowering the Sovereign Nation-State by Rethinking Trade Policy >
        • Irish Sovereignty Lost Before Bailout
        • Why Sudan's Greatest Long-Term Hurdle is Our Lowest-bidder Economy
        • Reduce US Imports by Buying American Made Products
      • Ending the need for government support and tackling poverty
      • Income inequality: understanding the limitations and psychology of disadvantage
      • Looking at the Future of American Jobs >
        • On Questioning the Need to Address Economic Disparity
        • Minimum Wage is Not the Problem
        • Responding to the "Blip"
        • Why Education Is Not The Civil Rights Issue Of The Twenty-First Century
      • Considering the Impact of the Capital Gains Tax Deduction
      • Embracing a Capitalist Mindset >
        • Capitalism Versus Socialism
        • The Negatives of Socialism
      • Stealing Intellectual Property
      • Changing Business Models: From Enduring Entities to Cash Cows
      • Consumer and Investor Evolution in the Great Recession of 2008-09
      • Dealing with the Issues Surrounding the Patenting of Self-replicating Technologies
      • Is Technology Threatening Jobs?
    • Education >
      • The Role of Education in Creating a More Dynamic Workforce
      • Primary Education in America and the Changing Needs of Society
      • The Greatness of the American Education System
      • Ideas for Improving the United States Education System
      • Are Teachers Treated as Professionals?
      • Is Engaging Parents in Their Children's Education a Major Factor in Turning Around Low-performing Schools?
      • Should Grants Be Awarded to School Districts that Try Innovative Methods to Improve Student Achievement?
    • US Constitution >
      • On Reading the US Constitution
      • The Senate should not do more to limit the powers of the Judicial Branch
      • On the DOJ Justifying the “targeted Killings” of US Citizens
      • Corporations Do Not Have the Same Rights as US Citizens >
        • Corporate America Pleads the First
      • Discussing the Constitutionality of Per Capita Taxes
      • Was the California Supreme Court Right in Legalizing Gay Marriage?
      • Should the Bible Continue to Be Used for Swearing-in Ceremonies and in Courtrooms?
      • Should Religious Student Clubs Be Allowed in Public Schools?
      • Should the Government Control Talk Radio to Make it More "balanced"?
      • The Second Amendment: Not Outdated >
        • Are We Losing Our Second Amendment Rights
      • Eminent Domain Used Against Banks
      • Should a Woman Have the Right to Choose Abortion? >
        • Should Fathers Be Able to Opt Out of Parenthood?
      • Should Smoking Be Allowed in Public Places?
      • Is Teen Driving a Right or a Privilege?
      • Should US Companies Be Required to Provide Equal Pay to Women and Men?
      • Is eighteen too young to vote?
      • First Amendment Rights: The Priviledge of The Press
      • Do Mandatory Seat Belt Laws Violate Individual Rights?
      • Should cell phone use be banned while driving?
      • Dealing with the link between video game violence and children's behavior
      • Should police have to submit to routine drug and alcohol testing?
      • Public schools should not impose mandatory drug testing on students
      • Are High Taxes on Cigarettes Proper?
      • Should pharmacists be required to violate their religious beliefs and dispense the "Morning After Pill?"
      • Should school counselors uphold patient privacy or report students who become unstable?
  • For the record
    • Ongoing Issues >
      • Red Dawn in Ukraine: Understanding the Actions of Russia >
        • On Russia’s Coercion of Ukraine
        • The Russian Annexation of Crimea in the Eyes of the World
        • Putin Has Overplayed His Hand With Crimea
        • Ukraine in Terms of Resovereignization
        • Avoiding a Conflict Between America and Russia Over Ukraine
        • What Drives the World’s Interest in Russia’s Actions in Ukraine
      • China’s Aggressive Pursuit of Interests Demands a Global Response
      • Iran Makes a Deal: A Start to a Long-term Diplomatic Effort to Denuclearize Iran >
        • On the Future of a Nuclear Negotiations with Iran
      • America's Sphere of Influence: Retaking South-East Asia >
        • Power in Asia: Looking at the Power Shift in Japan
        • The China Paradox: Why America is Worried About China
      • Assessing US Support of Israel >
        • Tread Softly Israel for a Heavy Step May Be Your Undoing
      • Understanding the Dysfunctional Nature of the US-Pakistani Relationship
      • Recognizing the True Threat Behind the Current Unrest in the Middle East >
        • Reacting to the Escalating Crackdown in Syria
      • Assessing the Threat of North Korea >
        • Answering North Korea's Call for Food Aid: Breaking the Vicious Cycle Forced Upon Us by a Warring Nation
        • Dealing with the Restarting of the Korean War
        • North Korea Attacks South Korea
      • Dealing with the Ill-effects of Climate Change
      • Racial Inequality and Oppression Do Truly Exist in Today's Society
      • Should energy independence be a high priority in the US?
      • An overview of world wide Human Rights violations
      • Nuclear Threat from Pakistan
      • Return of The Cold War?
    • World >
      • Coverage of FIFA World Cup is a Chance to Focus on Poverty >
        • The FIFA World Cup Offers Benefits for More Than Brazilian Soccer Fans
        • FIFA Can Bring Brazilians Together as a Nation
      • Being Prepared for Any Potential Dangers at the FIFA World Cup Games
      • Treading Softly on the Politicizing of the 2014 Sochi Olympics Over Gay Rights
      • Why NATO Operations in Libya Lack a Well-defined Mission
      • China Hijacks the Web
      • Lessons from the Great Japanese Earthquake of 2011
      • A Modernizing Cuba Offers an Opportunity for Capitalists
      • The Seeds of Democracy Take Root in the Middle East
      • The Rebirth of Democracy in Tunisia
      • What May Come from the Hurt Revolution in Libya
      • Responding to the Violence of Qaddafi and Other Besieged Leaders
      • Embracing the Rise of a Democratic Egypt
      • Protests in Afghanistan Turn Deadly for Coalition Forces and UN Personnel
      • Haiti: Another Failing Humanitarian Investment
      • What Karzai Can Learn from Calderon
      • START II: A Necessary, Easy Success that Nearly Failed
      • Why Does the U.S. Government Support Independence for the Breakaway Serb Territory of Kosovo but Oppose Independence for the Breakaway Georgian Territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia?
      • Iraq's Electric Issues: When Human Wants Trump Economic Sense
      • The International Community Reacts to Wikileaks: We May Be Moving Toward a Third World War in Cyberspace
      • On Climate Gate
      • Assessing Obama's Afghanistan War strategy
      • 2009 Iranian Presidential Election: The Fallout
      • Resolving Sri Lankan Conflict through Free Media
      • What are the Global Consequences of Russia's Invasion of Georgia
      • The War in Iraq: an assessment of President Bush's surge strategy
      • Drug War: Actions of Venezuela, Columbia, Ecuador in terms of Resovereignization
      • Is the Iraq Refugee Crisis America's Responsibility?
      • US support for a united Kosovo, Abkhazia, and South Ossetia: why?
      • Should the US withdraw from Iraq?
      • Setting a Timetable for Troop Withdrawal from Iraq is a Terrible Mistake
      • War on Terrorism is needed
    • Law and Order >
      • Rape in the US Military
      • Ethics of Force-feeding Guantanamo Bay Detainees
      • Reacting to the Aftermath of the Tucson Massacre
    • Economy >
      • Affordability Drives Fear of Obamacare and the Individual Mandate
      • Is the Economy Built for a Job's Recovery?
      • Gutting Healthcare Reform of the Individual Mandate
      • Arizona Budget Cuts Lead to Lethal Healthcare Rationing:
      • Shameful Collection Practices of American Banks
      • The Fed Reveals it Actually Undertook an International Bailout
      • Thoughts on French Budgetary Reforms
      • Seniors Start Businesses
      • The Case for Slimming Down the US Military to Make it Better
      • Looking at the Obama Administration's New Approach to Economic Policy
      • Should the Government Regulate the Credit Card Industry?
      • The Big Three's Big Chance
      • The Unhealthy Tone of the Healthcare Reform Debate
      • Should the federal government offer a bailout for home owners?
      • Environmentalists: Do They Do More Good Than More Harm?
      • Responding to Scott Walker's Contribution to the War on Unions
    • US Government >
      • America Needs to Focus on the Impending Fiscal Crisis
      • Reacting to the Bush Era-tax Cut Extension Deal
      • Quitting the Obama Revolution: The Fickle Nature of American Politics
      • John Boehner's Circus
      • Is the Fed Putting Itself in Jeopardy?
      • Wikileaks Goes After the US State Department
      • Discussing the Political Environment Surrounding the 2011 Budget Debate
      • What the Democrats Can Do to Ensure a GOP Year in 2012
      • What the 2010 Midterm Actually Said
      • Congresswoman Kathy Dahlkemper
      • Democrats Minus Nancy Pelosi Equals Opportunity
      • Terrorists Go Postal: The Terrorism Threat Reexamined
      • Victory in the 2008 Election: Reaction to Barack Obama'a Win >
        • Expectations for Barack Obama
      • President Obama's first one hundred days
      • John McCain's Negative Campaign
      • Reasons People did not Elect John Mccain
      • History judges the George W. Bush Administration
      • Should the next US President focus on domestic issues?
      • President Bush, should he resign or be impeached
      • Should the Ban on Government Sponsored Assassinations be Repealed
    • Off Topic >
      • A Face of America’s Greatest Generation
      • A Story About a Man Who Made the World a Better Place
      • Making the World a Better Place
      • The Bipolar Ethical Nature of Google
      • Learning Computer Plays Jeopardy
      • Verifying Medicine is the Real Thing
      • Taking a Practical Step Forward in Optical Computing Using Slow Light
      • Scientists Take a Closer Look at How Lithium Batteries Work
      • Remarking on the First Blizzard of the 2010-2011 Winter Season
      • Driving in the Snow: Acceleration is the Key
      • How People in Northwest PA Are Coping with the Increasing Cost of Oil
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