There has been a lot of frustration, among many, for the effective media boycott of the Gosnell trial. Gosnell, an abortion doctor from Philadelphia, is accused of killing infants at birth. The type murder that the advocates of Roe, say would be avoided by the Supreme Court decision.

I think it is fair to say that this story is very news worthy, but it is not an attractive story for the national news media establishment. Some cultural issues sort of run against the grain of the national media thinking. I understand as many as 70 congressmen have signed a petition asking for national news coverage of this trial.

Increasingly, the best way to think of the national media is that of one voice. A kind of amplified group-think. The national media is also the voice of advocacy, however subtly it might be packaged. I know there is competition among the outlets, but it seems they are kept within unspoken perimeters. The media likes to talk and write about economics more than cultural issues, but economics is more of a symptom than anything else.

I have long contended that the prime political problem with Congress is too much likeness, rather than too many differences. While there are differences in society at large, that are growing, they are not reflected by the members of Congress. These deep differences of society are certainly not articulated by Congress or the media. What you get from Congress is “scratch fights” and pettiness, which many members have discovered contributes to their re-election. Of course, re-election is paramount.

However, occasionally, a matter comes before Congress that defies party associations. Such is the bill known as the Marketplace Fairness Act, or Internet sales tax.

This bill, which forces on-line retailers to collect sales tax has been a long time coming. After all, Mom and Pop’s, however small, have been collecting sales tax all along. The Senate bill does have a one million dollar exemption. Some would like the exemption raised to ten million. While it want completely level the field, it brings a long overdue fairness in commerce.

The bill is supported by the President and some of the most reliable conservatives in Washington. So, it seems, for this bill, it will be decided on it’s merits alone.

If you look at census data, which I did today, you will see the counties of east Tennessee are falling behind. Most counties can’t keep up with their own state or the nation. Our manufacturing is in a long decline, and the age of the consumer is exiting.

President Obama has finally produced a budget. It has been promoted as a budget that addresses growing entitlements. The proposal is to change the way that inflation is measured. It reduces a $2000. Social Security check by $5.

Here in Tennessee, Gov. Haslem signed a bill reducing the food tax from 5.5% to 5.25%. This would reduce a $100. grocery bill by a whopping 25 cents. Haslem further said, ” we have a tax base that I think, quite frankly, is working pretty well for Tennessee.” How very, very, sad !  Sadder still, these men, apparently, are not even ashamed !

When considering chronic unemployment, you commonly hear politicians and journalist recommending investment is infrastructure, as a treatment for unemployment. But, what do they mean?

I know there is some airport and air travel issues and maybe select water concerns, but our general infrastructure is sound and no huge impediment to commerce, transportation, communication, or safety.

Here in Tennessee we have multi-million dollar roads, that traffic counts does not justify. Same through much of the Appalachians. So, if the infrastructure people are talking about a “WPA” plan; that will benefit the contractors, but will do little about chronic unemployment.

Unemployment is a complicated matter; involving mostly cultural, educational, and political leadership, among others, but hardly infrastructure.

After the Lehman bankruptcy in 2008, the government started bailing out the gamblers of Wall Street. Thereby, refusing to let them fail, even though failure is a necessary ingredient to freedom and Capitalism. David Stockman, in a recent article, says it is the single most shameful chapter in American financial history. Then came the 800 billion TARP “stimulus”. Both Tennessee Senators, Alexander and Corker, are TARP voters. Yet today, Wall Street and big money interest rule the Federal government.