Breaking news!

We've been down this road before, haven't we? This is where I point out that there are 315 million people in this country and only a small percentage watch FOX news and even less watch MSNBC or CNN. Fox claims something like 3 million viewers and that's not even one percent of the population. And, it's not that one percent. That one percent probably only watches CNBC Business to see if they are saying what they are supposed to be saying about the markets. That and maybe the new "Dallas" on TNT so they could see how they should be living if they weren't controlling markets and such. They'd be getting laid and committing murder, they suppose.

If there's a one percent of the population that is THE one percent, that means there is about 3 million people that more or less run things in this country and rake in most of the dough. They range from the billionaire Koch brothers to people you have never heard of but have like a dozen homes all over the world, who made or inherited fortunes. Somewhere in there too are good guys like Bill Gates (who probably made your computer) and slimey assholes like the Papa John's guy who is yet another reichwing pizza tycoon. I couldn't tell you where any of his pizza joints are but, Payton Manning owns like 30 of them.

Three million is a lot. To put it in perspective, that one percent is about the current population of The Great City Of Chicago- 2.71 million people. Just imagine everyone in Chicago being super-rich. That's super rich and within the city limits. It doesn't count the millions that are doing pretty damn  good, that the suburbs would represent, people whom you watch play professional sports or read the news or own small business, a couple of Burger Kings....stuff like that.

Now, the rest of the country. That's you, me and the poor people. From sea to shining sea. 300  million of us and then some. We're the people who live week to week, day to day and are one expensive illness away from disaster. We're the people who live the hard life and strive to make things better, for our families. You probably know where you fit in.

I guarantee your cable news station and your legislators think they know where you fit and what's good for you. They will tell you on one station or the other, 24/7. And they'll vote accordingly.

How many tens of millions of Americans are making the minimum wage (or in that ballpark)? Maybe a third?  A half? Can any newsman or teapublican politician tell me that those tens of millions of people wouldn't like a raise in pay? Well, not according to polls that don't include them, I guess. A survey of 100 Americans might show that 69.9%- a majority- feel that a hike in the minimum would be detrimental to economy, causing inflation of prices and actually harming poor people. Who knew? Not the minimum wage earners they didn't poll....

That shit gets reported as news and accepted as fact on cable news stations. Those people would have you believe that 65% of the people on your bus want an investigation into "BENGHAZI!!!!!!!!" And 73% believe that taxing rich people punishes success and shouldn't be allowed in a society that considers itself 'free' and 'Christian'. Furthermore, 47% believe that's the kinda shit that happens in communist Norway! Why do we have to give people 'special rights', by the way? Those 'special rights' come out of 'my rights' that my father or grandfather fought for in WWII when Hitler directly threatened our future rights. Or have we forgotten about that and 9/11 as 38% of democrats have?

Sheesh. When it comes down to it, politics is supposed to be about right and wrong and common sense. If Fox news had been in existence in the 1930's, in Nazi Germany, they would be reporting that a majority of Germans- Jews included- were in favor of confiscating the property of 'undesirables' and putting those people in work camps. People would watch some blonde Fraulein telling them that and think, well, that must be true- it was well presented and backed up with numbers! Later, a man named Goldberg would report about how wonderful the camps were.  Like a resort....

Is that hyperbole? I don't think so. They are telling us that the 'majority' of Americans don't want other Americans making a living wage. Nor do they want them on welfare or to receive unemployment or even social security. They just want poor people to go away. And above all else, they don't want rich people being taxed AT ALL because that just punishes success. Tax the poor moochers instead! You know, the ones no longer with us because we wished them all off to the corn field....

There are a lot of stupid people in this country. Read the comments on any Facebook thread and you'll know there are a lot of assholes too. Topix too even though it's dying sans Ferrerman and Hegel.

The thing is, we are not a nation of assholes like the media would like us to believe. We are not all out to make as little as possible so that our glorious job creators can make more, no matter what the media makes it look like. We're certainly not disgusted with our fellow citizens having access to healthcare and, ya know, we voted the black guy into office TWICE so, it's not like we wanted him to fail because he had a communist/Muslim agenda for us. Tiny little rednecks in Kentucky or Florida may want another Civil War but 99% of the rest of the country does not.

There are problems in America. We can work them out. It's not about the ratings or polls, though. It's all about using your mind so that others can't use your soul.