Will Net Neutrality Survive?

“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power.” — Thomas Jefferson

Any legally sanctioned corporate privilege which allows corporations to not only dictate the delivery speed of Internet content but to censor that content, is violating the 1st Amendment of the Constitution.

This is my opinion, based on reading several dozen quotes about the negative impact losing a free media has on a society. Many of these quotes originated hundreds of years ago, so this issue of citizen’s access to a free and open media has been around for a while.

History has proven over and over again that when The People’s right to know is restricted, censored, or violated in any way, a society is not truly free. Our Forefathers were adamant about maintaining a free and open media, to ensure that a government they themselves formed would not become too powerful and not serve in the best interest of The People.

The deregulation of our media by the FCC resulted in far fewer choices for acquiring unbiased information in order to make educated choices about most everything. Vested interest by the corporations who “own” our media has facilitated extensive censorship of our “news,” which has become “infotainment,” instead of true, unbiased, helpful information.

The one place left for people to have access to a global community of information, communication, entertainment, and education, is the Internet. Yes, not all of it is savory or useful, but the same can be said of print, television, and radio media as well. However, having our Internet access censored, restricted, and impeded by giving control of our Internet to corporations with a vested interest in controlling its content and delivery, is just another loss of liberty for the American People.

"The deterioration of every government begins with the decay of the principles on which it was founded” — Charles-Louis De Secondat

The FCC has the power to keep Net Neutrality and not bow to corporate pressure in lieu of doing the right thing for the American People. The question is, do the leaders of the FCC have the character to say “No” to corporate interests? Their choice and its impact will be their legacy.

November 4, 2014 Could Be The Start or The End...

November 4, 2014.  This day could make or break our country.  If the GOP gets control of the Senate and keeps their control of the House, we are in for a very bumpy ride for the next two years - and likely far beyond.  They could do a lot of damage in just two years.

I have to admit, that I am afraid of the possible consequences if the GOP get total control of Congress.  Their behavior over the past several years has been far less than stellar, and the impact of their behavior has been felt by millions. 

The question is:  Will those millions of people who have been negatively impacted by the GOP actually vote to get the GOP out of office?

In recent years, the GOP has

• refused to extend unemployment insurance
• reduced or eliminated public assistance funding
• continued their attacks on women’s rights to choose
• voted “No” to equal pay for equal work
• worked to weaken or abolish the Voting Rights Act
• voted “No” to increasing the minimum wage, while giving themselves undeserved raises
• voted for and passed huge tax breaks for the ultra rich and mega corporations
• voted “No” for bills that would help Veterans
• worked to weaken or eliminate environmental protection laws
• continued their assault on workers rights
• refused to close loopholes allowing corporate headquarters to off-shore in order to avoid their fair share of taxes
• constantly attacked the Affordable Care Act and blocked Medicaid for those most in need of health care
• filed a ridiculous lawsuit against President Obama that is a complete waste of taxpayer’s money, all in the effort to deflect from their own inability to take positive action on behalf of their constituents who aren’t in the top 2%
• continued their blatant disregard and lack of compassion for the most vulnerable of our citizens - children, the elderly, the disabled, the poor, and our Veterans
• waged irresponsible and uneducated attacks on scientists and ignored the urgent need to act on climate change
• vowed to increase oil and gas exploitation in our national lands and reservations
• pledged to privatize Social Security
• blatantly abused the filibuster to block hundreds of bills intended to help our economy, those in need, the environment, etc., and deflected the blame when “nothing is getting done”
• fully supported the NRA’s ongoing, distorted rant about the right to bear arms, even after such horrors as Sandy Hook, Virginia Tech, and countless other mass murders
• refused to support reducing the overwhelming student debt burden
• supported the Keystone XL pipeline project and big oil
• shown virtually no foresight into the consequences of their actions which will affect the financial and personal health and wellbeing of many generations to come

 The list goes on, and on, and on…

Of course, the Democrats have had their share of failures and poor legislative choices, too.  However, the vast majority of damage being done to the middle class, the poor, Veterans, the environment, and the economy is due to GOP actions - and inactions.

OK, so how do we fix this mess?

One of the biggest disservices to the American people was when the GOP majority of the FCC voted to end the regulation of our media. They voted in favor of deregulation, going against the wishes of millions of Americans who wanted to keep the media ownership limitations in place.  In my opinion, we need to have our media re-regulated, so that there are many, many more sources and viewpoints available that do not have huge financial profits to protect; we need our media to work FOR the people, not against us.

Ever since the FCC allowed media deregulation, our media has been hoarded by a handful of mega-corporations, mostly led by "conservative" leadership (e.g., Rupert Murdock at FOX, Disney). Our "news" has become more like infotainment, not information, and is contributing to the dumbing down of the American people.  This is especially true regarding elections and voting. We do not hear about many, many critical things going on because the corporate ownership of our media has a vested interest in the American people NOT knowing what's going on.

Voters cannot make informed decisions based on misinformation and, at times, outright lies by candidates and those supporting or opposing a ballot proposition or measure. Scare tactics and fear mongering have led to polarizing the public in one direction or the other, and this divide threatens our democracy. While everyone is entitled to his or her opinion, politicians and corporations are NOT entitled to lie to the American People.

The actions of SCOTUS to allow Citizens United has facilitated, in large part, the Oligarchy situation we now have, with the ultra rich and giant corporations handing out millions upon millions of dollars to their preferred candidates (on all sides) and to stop or pass their preferred propositions - the ones that will save or make them the most money, regardless of how it impacts our water, air, environment, income, health - and our future.

When millions of individual citizens do not vote, it sends the message to the politicians and to those handing them millions of dollars for preferential treatment, that WE THE PEOPLE are not WATCHING what they're doing.  Voter apathy is what many politicians, big corporations, and wealthy megalomaniacs count on to get away with doing whatever they want to do.  They act based on the assumption that we don't care enough to vote, so we don't care what they do. 

Don't use one source to make your voting decisions - use several, and include non-partisan sources such as http://www.factcheck.org and http://cal-access.sos.ca.gov/Campaign/Measures/, where you can get some information about who is funding the pass or fail side of a measure or proposition in California (other states should have a similar resource).  Having these type of resources available to us is why Net Neutrality is so, so critical to keep intact.  The FCC is about to decide whether the Internet will remain an equal playing field for all, or if preferential access and censoring will be allowed by Internet providers.

Send the message that you're watching what elected officials are doing:  VOTE.