In My Opinion

Dear Henry Waxman,

As my representative, I believe it is your duty to listen to the people you work for. I hope you hear me and the many others around the state of California and America who are saying let the process take its due course without government intervention.

Recently you made statements that the media around America are suffering terribly. You are now proposing efforts by the government to help save the media in order to stop the downwardly spiraling cycle of journalists losing their jobs and to keep news outlets from filing bankruptcy.

You say,

The loss of revenue has spurred a vicious cycle with thousands of journalists losing their jobs – While this has implications for the media it also has implications for democracy – A vigorous free press and vigorous democracy have been inextricably linked – We cannot risk the loss of an informed public and all that means because of this market failure

If you say you are concerned about Americans not being informed by worthy news sources, by adding government assistance and prolonging the life of media experiencing problems keeping their staff and books out of the red, you will inevitably bring about the exact change you hope that does not happen.

As a Representative of California, you should know better than most how democracy works. Media companies are in their current positions because the Internet has become a better source of news. The democracy of America is bringing about change without government intervention. Big newspapers and other media outlets are going under because they either cannot manage their business appropriately or because they are a part of the evolution of communication and falling to the wayside.

Look at it this way, LPs used to be the way people listened to music. Later, 8-tracks came about, but they never really took off. Then cassette tapes came out, but were eventually overtaken by CDs. Some people still use LP, 8-track, cassettes, even CDs. But now, CDs are even becoming a thing of the past. Many people get their music directly off the Internet and save their music on hard drives.

Newspaper companies will probably never die out. There will most likely always be a niche for them. But most people around the world and in America are on the go so much, they have no time to unfold or fold up a newspaper. Many don’t even want to buy one because it would mean they are using up wood resources. They would rather use the Internet or radio to receive news and information. You mention you are worried about the collapse of free press. Well, what better form of free press is there than the Internet?

Man is going to communicate. Take away all the newspaper companies in the world, and people will still find a way to get the news and information. Sure there are unreliable news sources out there, but we Americans can figure out who is telling the truth and who is not. We don’t need the government of America telling us who should or should not be working in the media. Weeding out the bad apples in society is something the majority can do, as the market rolls on.

If newspapers fall to the wayside because of free enterprise, Internet or for any other reason, it is the process of evolution. Creating new ways to keep a dying business afloat only kills off ingenious ideas Americans come up with to build and run new and better businesses and technology.

Americans live in a free market where free speech is enjoyed. The free press with which many people are employed is only free in the fact that journalists are given liberty to speak out on issues without fear of government pulling the strings. If you create more government loopholes for media to stay in business, the freedom journalists have in carrying out their articles will begin to erode as owners, editors and their bosses begin to dictate how, when and what they write as more government begins sticking its nose in places it’s not needed.

Government money erodes the very fabric of America. Its people have laid their lives into the fabric of the country and big government wasn’t necessary to get to that point. Based on government push and pull and the trails of money government doles out, money speaks louder than words, and backing media would eventually allow government to have a firm choke hold on American freedom of speech!

Stop putting band-aids on the American economy and allow her wounds to heal through American work ethics and ingenuity.