Inspired by Elizabeth Warren

[ThomWV]

Yesterday evening I watched Elizabeth Warren's address to the Netroots Nation Conference that was held last week. She made a compelling argument for a strong Consumer Protection Agency to oversee the world of finance with the intent of protecting the public. Her argument addressed the notion that people should understand what they are being presented when their financial future is on the line, that they - we - should be protected from deceitful practices and from documents so contorted, complicated, and convoluted as to be not only impossible to understand but as importantly impossible to compare to their competition. As I said, it was a compelling argument; I, and many others, think the nation will be well served if she is selected to head that budding Agency.

Actually I think its a shame other Federal Bureaus and Agencies don't have similar watchdog units. Imagine an FCC that required truth in broadcasting for instance.

Ms, Warren's speech to Netroots can be viewed at:http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/294741-2 Its well worth the ten or fifteen minutes it takes to watch - oh, and don't miss Rich Trumka, who speaks right after her, give his endorsement to her for the post.

[lunatica]

1. Never underestimate the power of stating the obvious

And thanks to Elizabeth Warren for doing so.

[Jackpine Radical]

2. In general, I agree, but I have one quibble.

I think it would be very dangerous to create a Truth Squad in the FCC. One person's truth is another's propaganda. For example, what of a 9-11 conspiracy show? Some think 9-11 was a Bush/Cheney operation, while others accept the government line. Would you want a station to lose its license for investigating something the government doesn't want investigated? Who would be the arbiter of truth?

[ThomWV]

3. I do not disagree with you

Very dangerous indeed, but still somewhere in my mind its hard to take that public airways can be used to spread half truths and outright lies. It seems to me to be different to print and distribute whatever you want to say via ink and paper where no licensing should exist from the public airways which is divided into a finite number of channels by technological limitations (bandwidth) within a limited spectrum defined by international agreement. In short its the public's airways and there are limited open spaces on it that are filled only with Government approval, presumably to be used for the public good. What is the public good in 24-hour-a-day deception?

But of course you are right, the 1st Amendment must prevail.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to rant.