A Quest for Truth: A List of the Top 8 Unbiased News Sources

Posted on August 24, 2012 by chrumbelievable

For anyone interested in things like politics, society, religion, etc., it is often difficult to accept that the information we are receiving might be coming from biased sources. We all like to

"Every man is entitled to his own opinion... but not his own facts!"

hold faith in the idea that the journalists we look to for insight about the world around us are presenting nothing more than neutral, hard-hitting facts. Unfortunately, however, that is too rarely the case. After all, we are only human, and as much as we are inclined to look at the media as some great, independent, self-fulfilling entity, the fact of the matter is that it is people who keep this machine running—real, living, breathing human beings with individual experiences, brain chemistries, educations, ideas and opinions. Try as one might, it is next to impossible to deliver anything of value that is devoid of your own figurative fingerprint. It is, arguably, our emotion, our experience, and our education that form every singular idea we have. That is how we prioritize what is important and what is not. It is how we decide which facts are important enough to include, which moments are important enough to capture on film, and which stories are essential enough to put on the front page. Regardless of what one might think about the media, it all comes down to individual human decision.

Moreover, we, as humans, seem to naturally default to those areas that we find comfort in—places of camaraderie, communion, self-affirmation and self-improvement. We try, as often as possible, to avoid situations that are harmful to our success, happiness and overall well-being. As a result, we tend to neglect those people and ideas that might seem threatening. It’s our “fight or flight” instinct. If you’re gay, chances are you aren’t going to actively seek out the company of violent homophones. If you’re a person of color (any color, that is), you most likely won’t accept an open dinner invitation from a group of white supremacists. Similarly, rarely do we ever seek out stories and viewpoints that run contrary to our own. I, like anyone, am guilty as charged. As a self-professed non-partisan liberal, my default news source (and predictably so) is NPR, along with a handful of other blogs on feminism and human rights. I wouldn’t be caught dead reading Fox News, and I’m sure none of my conservative friends would ever even consider touching the Huffington Post. Continue reading →

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Trouble in Paradise?: Obama and the Liberal Media

Posted on August 23, 2012 by conservativepolitico

Recently, the traditionally left-leaning publication Newsweek hosted a cover story entitled “Hit the Road, Barack: Why We Need a New President.” Liberal readers of the magazine were noticeably shocked and disappointed at this outward criticism, and prominent figures have taken it upon themselves to attack the publication and the author for desecrating their

This recent 'Newsweek' cover suggests trouble in paradise for Democrats and the liberal media

precious media outlet. Earlier this year, Newsweek published a photo of the President with a glowing halo over his head. Now, however, they seem to be hinting at a growing anti-Obama trend in the mainstream media, and this isn’t a singular incident.

Last week, Obama was featured on Entertainment Tonight, a show on the E! Network that hosts people such as Snooki and Kim Kardashian. Obama wanted to make the point that he has not been trying to divide the country, and chose E! as his vessel to do so. Many people speculate that this is because the liberal media isn’t as friendly as they once were. Entertainment Tonight obviously isn’t proficient in politics or foreign affairs. They don’t fact check or watch CSPAN unless it has to do with Madonna’s latest wardrobe malfunction, which is most likely why Obama chose it. The President has been avoiding his Press Corps for months now. He only recently met with them, but told them what topics to stick to; the reporters were only allowed to ask certain types of questions on one specific subject.

Continue reading →

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Paul Ryan: Why The Fuss?

Posted on August 17, 2012 by conservativepolitico

If I toss out the names Charles Fairbanks, Alben Barkley and Joseph Robinson, what comes to mind? My bet is that these names will not ring bells for anyone. Who are these people? These were all either Vice Presidents or Vice Presidential nominees of 20th century Presidential administrations. Unfortunately, these Vice Presidents live in obscurity. Why?  Because simply put, the Vice President is useless.

Vice Presidential History

It was never intended to be this way. In the days of our country’s childhood, the Vice President did not run on a ticket like we are familiar with today.

The Vice President of the U.S. is ultimately a useless office

In those days, the Vice President was the runner up in the presidential race. For example, with the original rules in place, John McCain would be President Obama’s Vice President instead of Joe Biden. This system was put in place in order to try and garner bipartisanship in the White House and have rival factions attempt to work together. It didn’t work. The system only lasted until 1804, when the 12th Amendment was ratified allowing people to vote for a Vice President on a separate ticket. This usually forced the Vice President to share the same or similar ideology of the President elect. Still the Vice Presidency was an obscure office filled by nameless people. Presidents didn’t even choose their Vice Presidential ticket mates until the 20th century. FDR was the first President to actually choose his running mate and it wasn’t until Ronald Reagan that Presidential hopefuls actually announced their decision of running mate before their party’s national convention. It’s safe to say that the phenomena of a Vice President generating media buzz is a relatively new one.

Duties

Outside of generating campaign buzz and attracting wayward demographics for a Presidential candidate, what are the duties of the Vice President of the United States? The list is a short one. The main duty of the Vice President after an election is to serve as President of the Senate. This position is a formal one used to open proceedings and serves as the formal head of the Senate. The position holds no real power, as the Vice President cannot vote unless there is a dead 50-50 tie in the Senate (unheard of), and he cannot introduce legislation. The unofficial head of the Senate is the Senate Majority Leader because that is where the power truly lies. The only other official duty the Vice President has is to take over for the President in case of death or debilitation, as stated in the 25th Amendment. More informal duties of the Vice President include greeting dignitaries in Washington D.C. or attending non-crucial events the President cannot or will not attend, making speeches for the President’s platform or being an adviser to the President. However, these informal roles only stretch as far as the President allows them to. Continue reading →

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Can America Really Afford A Conservative VP? Paul Ryan on Women’s and LGBTQ Rights

Posted on August 15, 2012 by chrumbelievable

Disclaimer: Much has been assumed recently regarding my personal political stance. First, let me state that my criticism of Romney, Ryan and the Republican Party does not automatically classify me as an Obama-loving Democrat. Disliking one party or candidate is not equivalent to adoring the other (as if there are only two, anyway). So, for clarification: I do not identify with any political party. I consider myself a nonpartisan liberal, with liberal defined as being “open to new behavior or opinions and willing to discard traditional values.”

Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney with recent VP pick Paul Ryan

The main issue I take with most Republicans and conservatives, then, is their apparent unwillingness to get rid of outdated mores and belief systems. It’s generally as simple as that. I’m not an expert on things like the economy, foreign policy, and taxation. I didn’t major in Political Science; I majored in English Lit, with minors in Philosophy and Women’s Studies. I really couldn’t tell you how many more jobs Romney could [theoretically] create, or how [theoretically] disastrous Obama has been for our economy. My political concerns center on social issues and human rights, particularly with regards to women and the LGBTQ community.

This, more than anything else, is the reason I am fearful of the Romney/Ryan reign. In a country marred with a history of violent inequality, can we really afford to stall the little bit of progress we have made since the Civil Rights Movement? I say, “Nay.” Taking a look at these two major social issues—women’s and LGBTQ rights—proves that both Romney and Ryan are ill fitted for the social climate of our ever-changing  country. Continue reading →

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The Corporate Welfare States of America

Posted on August 10, 2012 by chrumbelievable

Republicans have a long history of despising social welfare programs. According to most, every person receiving welfare from the government is either a) a lazy alcoholic and/or drug addict, or, even more commonly, b) a lazy single mother with seven kids and no job, milking the system to lead her oh-so-luxurious lifestyle. These “Welfare Queens,” as they are soaffectionately called, are the ultimate drain on our country’s economy, the downfall of our society, and the reason we are going broke (Interesting, considering the fact that HALF of our federal budget is spent on defense every year [1]).

The corporate welfare office

What Republicans seem to forget, however, or perhaps conveniently ignore, is that significantly more of our tax dollars are being spent on corporate welfare than on social welfare programs. Contrary to popular belief, it is not the “poor, lazy and unmotivated” of society that are making our country broke. Rather, it is the wealthy and powerful, as large businesses continue to collect more and more money from our government in the form of tax breaks and subsidies. This corporate welfare, as opposed to social welfare, is shutting down small businesses, putting people out of jobs, and consequently weakening our societal work ethic. Moreover, it costs our federal government twice as much annually, with $92 million a year of taxpayer money going into the pockets of those who need it least.

In 2007, the Cato Institute conducted an in-depth analysis of the “Corporate Welfare State” in America, with “corporate welfare” being defined as “any federal spending program that provides payments or unique benefits and advantages to specific companies or industries.” Their study found that, in the fiscal year 2006, our federal government spent $92 billion in direct and indirect subsidies to businesses and private-sector corporate entities, or “corporate welfare” [2].

“Who cares?” some people might say. “Surely the government wastes more on handouts for those lazy, no-good social welfare recipients than they do bailing out hardworking big businessmen. Right?” Wrong. In actuality, only about $59 billion a year is spent on social welfare like food stamps, roughly half the amount given to big corporations [3]. Continue reading →

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The Welfare States of America

Posted on August 9, 2012 by conservativepolitico

A new figure released by the Senate Budget Committee states that in 2011 over 100,000,000 people in the US received some sort of welfare benefit from the government. That’s nearly 1 in 3. Since 2000 the number of Medicaid recipients jumped from 34 million to 54 million. Spending on food stamps is now projected to rise by $800 billion in the next decade. This number comes out after we learned that the unemployment rate still sits stubbornly above 8% and that the labor force has shrank yet again, sinking our labor participation rate to even lower depths. And yet these numbers refuse to convince some people that something is wrong. In fact, some people like the Reverend Jesse Jackson are out there campaigning for food stamps, saying that they’re a public good.

The most frustrating thing about the dismal state of our economy is that the President acts as if nothing is truly wrong. He hasn’t met with his jobs committee since last spring. We aresubjected to quips such as, “The private sector is fine,” something the President said a few weeks ago. Or even more infuriatingly, “We tried our plan and it worked.”  If Mr. Obama thinks this is working then I’m afraid to know what failure is.

Some liberals consider welfare a success. They feel like through welfare they’re “helping the poor.” If 1 in 3 people are on government assistance in your country, then it is failing, plain and simple. Welfare shows an inability to help yourself and if 33% of people can’t help themselves then there is a serious breakdown going on. Despite all of this, there are people who think that the Democrats can do no wrong and that we are on the right track. True success would be a nation of hardworking people dependent on no one but themselves.

We continue to slide closer and closer to becoming a welfare state. The number of food stamp recipients continues to rise under President Obama and if he gets reelected we are sure to see this trend continue. The economy has barely improved, if at all, and people are dropping out of the workforce by the thousands. Meanwhile, welfare participation is on the rise. These are not the trends of a healthy, thriving society but the warning signs of decay. If we don’t reignite our drive to work and energize the economy, get people back to work, we will follow the same agonizing path that Europe has been plodding along on. Continue reading →

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Liberals Play Up Romney ‘Gaffes’

Posted on August 3, 2012 by conservativepolitico

The liberal establishment has been creating a field day out of what they’re claiming was a gaffe-filled Romney foreign policy tour. However, when looked at more closely we can see that there really were no gaffes at all, only in the overactive imagination of the Left. The tour in question had stops in England, Israel and Poland.

England

The first “gaffe” played up by the Left was of Romney’s criticism of London’s preparedness in dealing with the Olympics. Somehow, simple criticism is now a big no-no according to some.

Romney talks to British PM

These concerns were not unfounded though. A mere two weeks before the Olympic opening ceremony London was reporting “a shortfall of approximately 3,500 [security] staff posted to the Olympic venues” [1]. This wasn’t the only problem. A week after the concerning security reports were released London cab drivers threatened to go on strike over “games only lanes” through the city [2]. This came on the heels of an airport personnel strike that was threatened to take place during the games by 750,000 government employees [3]. All of the data was pointing to a rough and potentially insecure Olympics, and Romney, in seeing all of the data, questioned the ability of the British to smooth out all the wrinkles before the opening. When they did manage to fix all the problems, Romney then applauded their efforts and the overall finished product. However, the Left would rather you not know about the problems plaguing London prior to the Olympic opening and would rather have you believe Romney is just a naysayer.

This is ironic considering Obama’s horrendous dealings with the British. Recently, Obama moved a bust of Winston Churchill gifted to President Bush out of the White House. When confronted about the incident, Obama proceeded to lie and say that there were two busts and he had only moved one of them. As leverage during his arms talks with Russia early in his presidency, Obama also revealed the number of nuclear warheads the British currently had in stockpile . The Left wants to call Romney out for a simple critism based in actual concerns while their own beloved leader has done far worse and more embarrassing things when concerning Britain. Continue reading →

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Romney Proves Himself a Foreign Policy Nightmare

Posted on August 2, 2012 by chrumbelievable

This past Tuesday, Republican Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney wrapped up a three-leg overseas tour spanning the countries of England, Israel and Poland. The trip abroad was an opportunity for the candidate to showcase his hand at foreign policy, diplomacy and international relations, following criticism that he was inexperienced in this very significant field. Rather than dazzling voters with his eloquence and skill, however, Romney ultimately disappointed in all three countries. From accusing England of being unprepared for the Olympic Games to openly declaring Jerusalem the capital of Israel, Romney’s trip did little more than prove himself an absolute foreign policy nightmare.

Romney delivers foreign policy remarks at the University of Warsaw

England

The first stop on Romney’s tour was England, a logical choice considering the advent of the 2012 Olympic Games. With such a momentous occasion at hand, it should not have been difficult for Romney to find things (even superficially) to compliment the country on. Instead, however, he used this opportunity to cast doubt and condescension upon the very generous host country, before he even met with its Prime Minister. “Do they come together and celebrate the Olympic moment?” he asked U.S. reporters. “That’s something which we only will find out once the Games actually begin. It is hard to know just how well it will turn out,” he said.

Naturally, Romney received a host of backlash, both from British and American citizens alike. Prime Minister David Cameron hit back publicly, stating, “In terms of people coming together, the torch relay demonstrated that this is not a London Games, this is not an England Games but this is a United Kingdom Games. We’ll show the world we’ve not only come together as a United Kingdom but are extremely good at welcoming people from across the world” (which is more than we can say for Romney).

In addition to this remarkable insult, the Republican candidate also made the mistake of stating that he had met with the head of the M16 spy agency, the existence of which is not supposed to be publicly acknowledged.

Rather than apologizing for his comments, Romney took to the press to issue some polite flattery to the offended host nation, praising the London Games and the U.K.’s hosting efforts. “What I’ve seen shows imagination and forethought and a lot of organization and expect the games to be highly successful,” he said.

Insert foot in mouth. Continue reading →

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Enter ConservativePolitico

Posted on August 1, 2012 by conservativepolitico

If you have not noticed, and even if you have, up until this point most (if not all) of the posts on this blog have been posted by none other than alex.chrum. I am here to tell you that that changes starting now. Our wonderful blog gets a new addition to the writing staff! Me. ConservativePolitico as I am known on Debate.org.

I was graciously invited to write for this blog and have chosen to accept the opportunity with pride. My views are primarily conservative in nature with a hint of libertarian on some issues. This should hopefully come as a welcome change of pace from the normal views you receive from Ms. Chrum. I will be posting every Friday in response to or in addition to the writings of Ms. Chrum. As far as I can tell my responses should give the readers a right wing foil to Ms. Chrum’s leftist views. That is the goal. That being said, this blog should now host a range of views and opinions which will be indirectly discussed and pitted against each other on a weekly basis. I am honored to help make this happen.

My real name is Grant Piper, I write for my own blog (http://www.conservativepolitico.org/), debate regularly on Debate.org, make political commentary videos on Youtube and have a lesser passion for fiction and poetic writing. Politics and related commentary is my true passion and I am extremely grateful for this opportunity. I look forward to writing many pieces in the future in hopes of advancing reader enjoyment, knowledge and understanding of the political issues at hand.

And so enter: ConservativePolitico.

Grant Piper – conservative blogger

http://www.conservativepolitico.org/

http://www.youtube.com/conservativepolitico

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Gender Politics at the Olympic Games: The Harsh World of Female Athleticism

Posted on July 31, 2012 by chrumbelievable

As Liz Clarke points out in her piece for the Washington Post, much ado was made this year about the uniforms of female athletes participating in certain Olympic events. Even though this is the first time in history that women are competing in every Olympic sport, and, moreover, the first time that every participating country has sent women to represent them, a closer examination reveals that we are clearly far from ending gender disparity within the Games.

U.S. middleweight boxer Claressa Shields warms up during a practice session at the 2012 Summer Olympics

A Women’s History of the Olympics

The first Olympic Games for which we have a written record are reported to have taken place in 776 B.C. According to legend, however, Hercules, son of Zeus, founded the Games well before that time. The competitions flourished as-is until 393 AD. Then, Roman emperor Theodosius I, a Christian, banned them for their pagan influences. Not until 1500 years later, in 1896, were the first Olympics Games of the Modern era held in Athens, Greece.

Women were not allowed to compete in this the “Games of the I Olympiad,” or any Games before that, under strict penalty of death. It was not until the 1900 Summer Games that women were allowed to participate, and even then only in the sports of golf, croquet and tennis. The Winter Olympics saw their first female competitors in 1924, but only in the sport of figure skating.

Female Athletes in London

This year, over a century later, women are now, for the very first time, allowed to compete in every Olympic sport contested by men. Moreover, every single country has now sent female athletes to compete, an historic decision causing great controversy in countries such as Qatar, Brunei and Saudi Arabia.

As evidenced by the recent debates over female athletes’ uniforms, however, legitimate gender equality is a long time coming for the Olympic Games and society at large. What little attention that has been given to women’s role in the Games has consisted mainly of what they will wear when they compete.

As Clarke points out, this year, female volleyball players were actually given the option to put on more clothes for once, given the opportunity to swap out their bikinis for shorts and sleeved tops. The decision came at the disappointment of many male viewers worldwide, who admittedly tune in to the sport solely to ogle the athletes’ figures.

Meanwhile, female boxers, who are making their debut in the London Games, were originally going to be required to compete in skirts instead of shorts. Gloria Peek, a member of the U.S. Boxing team’s coaching staff, was incensed when she heard the proposal. Continue reading →

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