The South County Progressives are an active club of Democrats, progressives and liberals. In an email annoucning their summer picnic, they announced a petition for the new owners of the Orange County Register calling for more editorial balance (or less hard core right wing points of view while demonizing those on the left).
Here’s their message. If you agree, send an email to the group’s organizers at SCNJ66@yahoo.com and join the petition:
Please Sign a Petition
The big news is the sale of the Orange County Register to Aaron Kushner, Stanford grad and head of Boston investment group 2100 Trust. Freedom Communications is now out of the picture, and it is possible that the newspaper will come up with a new look, new people, and a fresh editorial policy. For several years, our group has talked about how to get a newspaper in this area with balanced coverage, not just extremist views from the right. This is a great opportunity to chip in to welcome the new owners and to ask for more balanced and professional news coverage. Mr. Kushner has already stated that his group is dedicated “enhancing and enriching the integral relationship that its newspapers have with their local communities through a dedication to rich content and quality reporting.” To that end, could we ask everyone to sign the following letter to be sent to Aaron Kushner. Just put your first name (or initial), last name, and city of residence. No address or phone number necessary. We will put everyone’s name in alpha order. Could you please do this right away so we can send the letter out in a few days? Just a quick note with your name and town does the trick. And please also indicate if you might be coming to the picnic. Respond to:
We the undersigned welcome the new owners of the Orange County Register. We are hoping that under new leadership the newspaper will once again thrive and be a resource for the community. In recent years the reputation of the OCR has suffered because of its strident editorial pages which often represent extreme political views which are not representative of its readership area. We are hoping that you will provide an entirely new look for the OCR, one with balance and thoughtful commentary. Whether it is the editorials, Op-Ed, or letters to the editor, the OCR needs more balance and more diversity. We look forward to a new and more professional Orange County Register closely aligned to your stated mission to enhance and enrich your relationship with local communities through a dedication to rich content and quality reporting.
Signed:
that would mean editorial blandness – who wants that?
Years ago I canceled my subscription to the OC Register because of their editorial political views. Never looked back nor read another OC Register newspaper.
Gallup Polls show that most Americans do not have confidence in the mass media “to report the news fully, accurately, and fairly”. In 2011 a 60% majority reported a perception of media bias, with 47% saying mass media was too liberal, 13% too conservative.
According to Gallup, in every year since 2002 more Americans think the media show liberal bias than think the media show conservative bias.
South County Progressives should buy their own paper and print whatever their like.
Now if we can only get you to give up your voter registration. We get enough progressives to stop voting we might actually be able to fix California.
If you want to fix California Mike, you can start with reforming Prop 13. Protect Prop 13 when it comes to one primary residence but lift the restrict on second homes and vacation homes, and life the restrictions on commercial property sales. That will effectively produce $8-10 billion annually to state coffers.
As far as voter registration goes, it’s Republicans in serious trouble. Democratic registration is holding and growing modestly. DTS and independent registration is on the rise. Republicans are in free fall.
Typical liberal view thinking it is a revenue problem. The real problem is we can’t stop spending. We have one of the highest total tax rates in the world and we don’t have enough money.
Between the sweetheart union deals, the attack on business and trains to nowhere there is no hope for California.
Of course Democratic registration is up. Pandering to poor and illegal immigrants coming here helps while business and money leaves.
Over 35 years of Democratic rule in California is all the proof you need that they are the least capable of doing anything right.
According to this January NYTimes article our current tax burden is at its lowest level since 1950:
Read More Here: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/20/us/politics/why-americans-think-the-tax-rate-is-high-and-why-theyre-wrong.html
Republicans love to suppress the vote don’t they? Freedom for me but not for thee
Federal Income Taxes Have Declined Significantly in Recent Decades
Federal income taxes on middle-income families have declined significantly in recent decades. In 2000, the year before the 2001 tax cut enacted by President Bush and Congress, the median-income family of four paid 8.0 percent of its income in individual income taxes, according to Tax Policy Center estimates — a smaller share than in any year since 1967 (except for 1998 and 1999).
The Bush tax cuts further reduced middle-income tax obligations. This year (i.e., when people pay income tax on 2011 income) the Tax Policy Center estimates that the median-income family of four will pay 5.6 percent of its income in federal income taxes.
The 5.6 percent rate (as well as the other rates discussed here for both 2011 and other years) is the effective tax rate, or the percentage of its income that a family pays in taxes. It is well below the 15 percent marginal tax rate — the rate paid on a filer’s next dollar of income — that a family of four in the exact middle of the income spectrum faces. A family’s effective tax rate typically is significantly lower than its marginal tax rate, because the family takes the standard deduction (or, in some cases, itemized deductions), personal exemptions, and tax credits such as the child tax credit, and because a portion of the family’s taxable income is taxed at lower rates. (For the median-income family, some of its income is not taxed, some is taxed at a 10 percent rate, and some is taxed at a 15 percent rate.)
Source: Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=3151