IS THE 99% THE UNINVOLVED MAJORITY?

One of the things that really bothers me about today's journalism is the lack of relevant facts in the name of making a story, what?  Palatable, punchy, easy on the brain? 

Regarding a study of the differences in politics of the 1% and the 99% authored by the political scientists Benjamin Page, Fay Lomax Cook, and Rachel Moskowitz and recently released by the Russell Sage Foundation, found that the politics of the very wealthy are strikingly different.

Wealthy Americans are far more active in politics than less affluent citizens. Nearly all respondents said they voted in the 2008 elections; half of the respondents said they had contacted at least one type of government official in the past year; 41% reported attending a campaign speech or event and 68% said they donated to a political cause or campaign in the past four years. Roughly one of five respondents said they "bundled" contributions from other people for a party or political cause; on average, respondents reported giving $4,633 to political campaigns and organizations in the past year.



Lets look at 41 percent of the very wealthy reported attending a political meeting.  Only 9 percent of Americans did so in 2008.  But no definition of a political meeting is included.  So my cynical mind says "Well of course!  The 1% can afford those gazillion dollar a plate dinners."

The thing I like about reading news on the internet is that a little thought and a few clicks and you can usually find out what the story leaves out.  Turns out the study considered attending a campaign speech or event as attending a political meeting. So that rally at the fairgrounds would count as much as a fund raising dinner. 

I would still argue that rich folks have better attendance because they can afford travel to attend events held far from their residence; but I also admit that I didn't go to see McCain when he was in town during the last election.  Actually, I didn't even know he was here, so the word must have been spread through GOP channels only.  Guess they wanted to limit the hecklers. Would I have gone if I known about it and  free tickets were available and I was free that day?  Probably not.  but I have attended  "meet and greets" of local and state candidates.

But really, how accessible are most political events for the average Americans?  And is it getting harder to actually see a political candidate in person without some sort of group affiliation?  Do you accept the concept of saying the 1% is more involved in politics and so have earned the right to have more say?

MORE RANDOM THINGS

Finally got my computer online yesterday - four and a half days with no internet gave me some book and newspaper reading time, but I found out how frequently I use the internet for things. i I could barely make a grocery shopping list.

I watched the Jon Stewart vs. CNBC/ Jim Cramer shows on TIVO. Then watched John King interviewing Dick Cheney and wished that Stewart could have interviewed Cheney. Why is it that the "entertainment" side of the media is more direct and assertive in interviews than the journalists? Remember when "The View" was the first to call out the Republicans on all the lies during the campaign - then all the news outlets finally started discussing the factual distortions on both sides of the campaigns. Someone needs to challenge Cheney or any other representative of the former administration when they suggest they had nothing to do with our current financial crisis. Jon Stewart would have, and it would have been entertaining, too.

I really have mixed feelings about the cutting of health care for undocumented immigrants in California due to the huge cuts in the state budget:

After letting go of social workers, cutting mental health services and watching a delivery room built to handle 120 births a month accommodate 240, there were few other options, said Contra Costa Health Services Director William Walker."We've never had this crisis before," said Walker. "We've tried to carefully slice what we thought we could without cutting off our ability to respond. Now we're looking at bad choices among bad choices."

Hospitals receiving Medicaid funds must provide emergency medical care, despite immigration status, but primary medical care is not guaranteed.

It bothers me that low income people have difficulty getting the services they need because of the cost of helping undocumented workers, it also bothers me that we make it so hard for people to come to this country legally to take the low paying jobs they are willing to take. I suspect that having their yard work done and their houses cleaned were some of the first things people dropped when their portfolios went bust. Which means there are a lot of undocumented workers in real trouble right now.

On the other hand - hundreds of teachers, counselors and other staff have been cut from our local schools and something has got to give. Somewhere.

We watched a wonderful movie that I hope will not be overlooked on video - The Great Buck Howard. It stars John Malcovich as a magician/mentalist, touring the smallest of venues of the country with his newly hired assistant played by Colin Hanks. Hanks is trying to figure out what he wants to do with his life and Malcovich is looking to get back into a brighter limelight. It is a smart, charming comedy, Malcovich really makes his character ring true, both as a smarmy show biz veteran and as a complex, kind human being with some real talent.