my letter to CNN re: bush's economic speech today

[oxbow]

After President Bush's speech today, your reporters were all talking about how the economy is strong, but the people don't believe it. Well, we don't beleive it because we are not reaping the benefits of this new economy. 1 million new people dipped below the poverty line last year alone, and this was BEFORE Katrina! (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35175-2004Aug26.html)

The oil companies and War corporations like Bechtel and Halliburton are reporting RECORD profits, but us normal people see none of that. "CEO compensation was lower in 2003 than in 2000, yet CEOs in major companies still earned 185 times more than the average worker, up from 71 times in 1989."
(http://www.epinet.org/books/swa2004/news/swafacts_ceopay.pdf)

That's almost a three fold increase in the gap between the rich and the poor. Alan Greenspan himself said just months ago that "The income gap between the rich and the rest of the US population has become so wide, and is growing so fast, that it might eventually threaten the stability of democratic capitalism itself."
(http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0614/p01s03-usec.html)

The sad facts are that there is a lot of money being made in the US economy, yet most of it remains concentrated in the top 1%. I am surprised that CNN is ignoring this. The facts are clear enough that it makes me question your motives. Your primary audience is the middle class, so why aren't you watching out for us? Why don't you tell people the way things are, that the rich are getting richer and the poor poorer. Don't you care?




If anybody else wants to contact them, the address is http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form6a.html?2
the program that I saw this on was "Live From"

[tk2kewl]

1. Nicely done... and recommended

:thumbsup:

[Andrea]

2. Good letter!

Well-written, excellent points, well documented. Thanks.

[electropop]

6. Ditto. Excellent, clear, and pithy. nt

[oxbow]

9. Thank you. If bush thinks he can get away from the CIA leak investigation

by spouting off more lies about the economy and the American Dream, he has another thing coming! It's up to us to hold him accountable for his lies, since this administration has shown itself so lacking in even the most basic precepts of responsibility. This is not just more political wrangling. It's millions of people's lives that are at stake here! I refuse to become a member of the third-world underclass for these crooks!

[lilymidnite]

3. Excellent letter

If you read the sales reports from retailers, only top-end stores like Tiffany's, Lord & Taylor, etc. are seeing much traffic. Kinda telling, isn't it?

Like those rich pricks need more money from their tax cut windfalls.

E.

[CrackpotAmerica]

4. Nice!

:nominated:

[politicaholic]

5. Short, informative, researched, not preachy, to the point. Awesome!

recommended

[digitaldave]

7. Do letters to the MSM make any difference?

I don't know what would, but at least you have the story straight.

[oxbow]

10. Only if they're in bulk. In rare circumstances however...

...and if the letter is particularly good/well researched, they can be a catalyst for change. In most cases though, I stick to my local media outlets. I have a lot more relative influence in my own backyard than on the national media playing field. If I can get a few friends to join me in writing the Sacramento Bee to call them out on a subject, it's much more effective than 100 people writing CNN.

In this case though, the lies were so outlandish and the potential for damage so great that I couldn't help myself.

Everybody feel free to write a letter to them too though. Maybe you can mention how the country has turned on Bush, economic policies and all, and ask why they are still supporting his warped view of reality. When the pendulum is swinging our way, we should take the opportunity and push.

[wishlist]

8. Good job. Consumer sentiment dipped lower than expected too per govt

Even the official report on monthly consumer sentiment that came out this week showed another dip more than "expected".

[DemReadingDU]

11. Nice letter, thanks for sharing

I heard parts of Bush speech today. All I could think about was liar, liar, liar. I had to turn off the TV.

[NoAmericanTaliban]

12. Not to mention that real wages are stagnant, no more surplus...

The median household income has not risen in years. It is stuck around 45k.

Dow Jones is about the same as it was when * took office

Surplus gone - now record red ink

Worker production has increased while pay raises are merger at best

more folks uninsured now for health

private pensions are disappearing

Largest corp bankruptcies, lots of layoffs

& the beat goes on, etc...

[oxbow]

13. You forgot skyrocketing health care and college costs,

corporations hiring migrants in the gulf coast after Katrina instead of her own displaced residents, the outsourcing of America, etc, etc.

;)

sometimes, all we can do is laugh. Hopefully things are finally bad enough that they will soon turn around. Maybe people will start being less materialistic too. This notion that "the pursuit of happiness" outlined in our Declaration of Independence = the pursuit of objects/money, it cannot last.