[RicardoHun]

I must admit. . .I am one of those people who believe only 1/2 of what Fox News reports. . .

And yet, this time ONE anchor was honest enough to tell the truth behind Governor Walker's attempt to break the unions:

Shep Smith Wisconsin Union Busting | No Budget Crisis | Koch ... Feb 23, 2011 ... Shepard Smith's conversation today with commentator Juan Williams would likely surprise loyal viewers of both Fox News and MSNBC.
http://www.mediaite.com/.../shep-smi...bout-a-fiscal- crisis-is-malarkey/

[venediene]

I must admit. . .I am one of those people who believe only 1/2 of what Fox News reports. . .

And yet, this time ONE anchor was honest enough to tell the truth behind Governor Walker's attempt to break the unions:

Shep Smith Wisconsin Union Busting | No Budget Crisis | Koch ... Feb 23, 2011 ... Shepard Smith's conversation today with commentator Juan Williams would likely surprise loyal viewers of both Fox News and MSNBC.
Shep Smith Wisconsin Union Busting | No Budget Crisis | Koch | Mediaite crisis-is-malarkey/

The only way the media will gain credebility to sell a lie is by telling the truth: truth about weather, used up political puppets, truth after it no longer matters, sacraficial truth etc. I only watch fox news when I am in the mood for entertainment. news I get from internet where I can check the facts with actual sources.

[RicardoHun]

The only way the media will gain credebility to sell a lie is by telling the truth: truth about weather, used up political puppets, truth after it no longer matters, sacraficial truth etc. I only watch fox news when I am in the mood for entertainment. news I get from internet where I can check the facts with actual sources.

Sorry you didn't watch this one! I think it might have surprise you!
In fact, I think it will surprise a lot of people, and probably not please many of the regular Fox News' viewers!

[nonDosearrany]

ahoy Sadanie!

thanks fer the link...i don't watch much tv news, and even less 'o Fox, so i'd have missed this.

- MeadHallPirate

[fotochicaes]

Good ol' Fox. Since we're discussing Fox, I thought it would be topical to provide today's example of their extreme partisanship...or maybe it's just extreme incompetence. Either way...
As protests and legislative gridlock continue in Wisconsin regarding Gov. Scott Walker's (R) proposal to strip public employee unions of collective bargaining rights, Gallup released a poll yesterday showing that 61% of people would oppose a similar proposal in their state. If you thought Fox would either ignore the poll or claim it is inaccurate, you underestimate the network's capacity for blatant dishonesty in service of pushing GOP propaganda.

This morning, responding to Democratic strategist Robert Zimmerman saying that mainstream Republican governors "are not siding with Governor Walker," host Brian Kilmeade responded that "Gallup, a relatively mainstream poll, has a differing view." Kilmeade then completely inverted the poll results, claiming that 61 percent supported ending collective bargaining for public employee unions.

At the end of the show, Kilmeade offered a brief correction, saying that he "had it reversed" when discussing the poll.

However, it wasn't just Kilmeade who "had it reversed." Fox News had a graphic ready to go that repeated Kilmeade's distortion, suggesting that this misrepresentation was premeditated by the network See the video clip here.

[Loonerisav]

I like it when I get to quote myself:

.... Shep is one of the more liberal voices on Fox (meaning he's not far right). Sometimes I wonder why they keep him around.

[agolutuaddiff]

Good ol' Fox. Since we're discussing Fox, I thought it would be topical to provide today's example of their extreme partisanship...or maybe it's just extreme incompetence. Either way...


See the video clip here.

The clip will make the rounds of the Right's blogosphere, and the correction will no doubt be cut off.

[houkbsdov]

Shep was left of Juan on this issue and Fox News is not "fair and balanced"? Jeez!

I find it interesting that a left leaning comment on Fox News is lauded as a truism. “Even Fox thinks it’s true!!!” Go to OpenSecrets.org for stats on where the money flows.

Unions like the Dems. If you do something against the unions, it’s political. If you do something to help the economy that hurts the unions, it’s political. Therefore, if you hurt the unions, it’s political. Thanks Shep! And even Fox News agrees so it must be right (I mean correct.)

If I was in a union and paying dues to support opinions I didn’t believe in, I’d be pissed off. If I was working hard and believed in my job and everyone around me could care less, I’d be pissed off union or not. If I, and many Americans, didn’t have nice benefits like public employees do, I’d be pissed off (since we are ultimately paying for them).

Finally, the public pays for public workers. The public workers pay dues to their union. Their union has a decided political agenda to support the left: Democrats (regardless of the workers input). So the tax payers of America are paying to support Democrats without a counterbalance for Republicans. I’d be pissed off regardless of party affiliation. Guess what? It pisses me off.

[Khurlxgq]

Shep was left of Juan on this issue and Fox News is not "fair and balanced"? Jeez!

I find it interesting that a left leaning comment on Fox News is lauded as a truism. “Even Fox thinks it’s true!!!” Go to OpenSecrets.org for stats on where the money flows.

Unions like the Dems. If you do something against the unions, it’s political. If you do something to help the economy that hurts the unions, it’s political. Therefore, if you hurt the unions, it’s political. Thanks Shep! And even Fox News agrees so it must be right (I mean correct.)

If I was in a union and paying dues to support opinions I didn’t believe in, I’d be pissed off. If I was working hard and believed in my job and everyone around me could care less, I’d be pissed off union or not. If I, and many Americans, didn’t have nice benefits like public employees do, I’d be pissed off (since we are ultimately paying for them).

Finally, the public pays for public workers. The public workers pay dues to their union. Their union has a decided political agenda to support the left: Democrats (regardless of the workers input). So the tax payers of America are paying to support Democrats without a counterbalance for Republicans. I’d be pissed off regardless of party affiliation. Guess what? It pisses me off.

Unions are made up of the people they represent, they are small d democratic first and foremost, and big D Democratic for the most part because the Democratic party tends to favor an approach that is most beneficial to the people who work in jobs that are unionized.
I'll bet you are pissed off, people get really angry when they don't understand what is going on, especially when they are being fed propaganda.

[yxn2dC07]

I must admit. . .I am one of those people who believe only 1/2 of what Fox News reports. . .

And yet, this time ONE anchor was honest enough to tell the truth behind Governor Walker's attempt to break the unions:

Shep Smith Wisconsin Union Busting | No Budget Crisis | Koch ... Feb 23, 2011 ... Shepard Smith's conversation today with commentator Juan Williams would likely surprise loyal viewers of both Fox News and MSNBC.
Shep Smith Wisconsin Union Busting | No Budget Crisis | Koch | Mediaite crisis-is-malarkey/

Shep Smith is one of the more objective guys at Fox. He was the one that spoke out against Pres. Bush and the torture, when Shep said that the Nation he loves does not torture people. That it was basically unAmerican.

That Fox allows Shep on air must be the part of the "fair and balanced" in their slogan. Then Shep is followed by Cavuto who doesn't know what fair and balanced means, and then by Beck, the evangelical conspiracy guy.

[ephennaCypota]

I must admit. . .I am one of those people who believe only 1/2 of what Fox News reports. . .

And yet, this time ONE anchor was honest enough to tell the truth behind Governor Walker's attempt to break the unions:

Shep Smith Wisconsin Union Busting | No Budget Crisis | Koch ... Feb 23, 2011 ... Shepard Smith's conversation today with commentator Juan Williams would likely surprise loyal viewers of both Fox News and MSNBC.
Shep Smith Wisconsin Union Busting | No Budget Crisis | Koch | Mediaite crisis-is-malarkey/

Wisconsin's 'Phony' Budget Crisis - FoxBusiness.com

In the above Fox Business link the assertion is that the surplus talk is based on gimmikry. Given that the Dems tried to convince us that Obama Care wouldn't break the bank---depending on how you played with the numbers!---I find that real easy to believe.

I like Shep, but he should have fact-checked himself before making such a proclamation.

[Pvfcadbh]

Unions are made up of the people they represent, they are small d democratic first and foremost, and big D Democratic for the most part because the Democratic party tends to favor an approach that is most beneficial to the people who work in jobs that are unionized.
I'll bet you are pissed off, people get really angry when they don't understand what is going on, especially when they are being fed propaganda.

Oh, come on.

Unions are "big D Democratic" because union money buys a lot of quid-pro-quo from Democratic politicians (just like big corporate money buys a lot of quid-pro-quo from Republican politicians).

It's not a magical coincidence that millions upon millions of union money goes to Democrats and they just happen to support legislation that increases the power (and bank accounts) of the unions.

Matt

[P1international]

So now liberal listen to fox? Hey fools Fox has stated from the beginning that this was about curbing the unions ability to collective bargain. No one elected a union to run the state. So again liberal only get it half right and badly so.

[lollypopz]

I must admit. . .I am one of those people who believe only 1/2 of what Fox News reports. . .

And yet, this time ONE anchor was honest enough to tell the truth behind Governor Walker's attempt to break the unions:

Shep Smith Wisconsin Union Busting | No Budget Crisis | Koch ... Feb 23, 2011 ... Shepard Smith's conversation today with commentator Juan Williams would likely surprise loyal viewers of both Fox News and MSNBC.
Shep Smith Wisconsin Union Busting | No Budget Crisis | Koch | Mediaite crisis-is-malarkey/

One good section from that link is:
Furthermore, Shep brought up the fact that the “Koch brothers, among others, were organizing to try to bust labor – it’s what big business wants to do.” Given that the Koch brothers contributed to the campaign of Wisconsin Governor Walker, Shep said people should not be surprised that now they want unions busted. Wonder just how many days in the doghouse Smith will spend for actually reporting news on Fox?

[regfortruegoo]

while I really am not a fox fan, to be fair, I am not a mainstream media fan at all it is infact a fairly decent network which unfortunatly suffers from constant attacks from the far left.
but less we forget how Inaccurate media is in general let us look at MSNBC and their communist hour I mean late night reporting http://politifact.com/wisconsin/stat...ve-budget-sur/
Keith Olbermann suspended over political donations - Politics - Decision 2010 - msnbc.com
So the notion that Fox is the only network which leans one way or another is absurd and shows just how easily people are brainwashed and or mislead.

[Retapleapse]

while I really am not a fox fan, to be fair, I am not a mainstream media fan at all it is infact a fairly decent network which unfortunatly suffers from constant attacks from the far left.
but less we forget how Inaccurate media is in general let us look at MSNBC and their communist hour I mean late night reporting http://politifact.com/wisconsin/stat...ve-budget-sur/
Keith Olbermann suspended over political donations - Politics - Decision 2010 - msnbc.com
So the notion that Fox is the only network which leans one way or another is absurd and shows just how easily people are brainwashed and or mislead.

Liberals hate FOX because it does not tell them what they want to hear. And you're right they are glued to MSNBC communist hours, remember Dan Rather and his communist hour. You'll notice liberals will never make a mention about them, in fact they defend them, even Dan Rather telling lies for 20 yrs and then day after day about Bush.

[houkbsdov]

Unions are made up of the people they represent, they are small d democratic first and foremost, and big D Democratic for the most part because the Democratic party tends to favor an approach that is most beneficial to the people who work in jobs that are unionized.

So why does ‘small d’ oppose secret ballots? And why should ‘small d’ feed ‘big D’ and it somehow not be a political issue? I’m not against unions. I’m against union bosses feeding money to one party for political favor. And yeah, ‘big D’ sucks at that teat.

I'll bet you are pissed off, people get really angry when they don't understand what is going on, especially when they are being fed propaganda.

I’m pissed off because I’m being fed propaganda? There is a shiny thing called a mirror, you should look into it. I understand what’s going on, and I take great offence that somehow I’m buying into propaganda. (four letter words on the tip of my tongue) My opinion of unions comes from experience with union members and those without unions.

I like unions and wish there was one for my profession. What I don’t like is the political deals that are not ‘democratic’ small d. Be open, be transparent.

[Ivanaishere]

So why does ‘small d’ oppose secret ballots?

They aren't. You're referring to the "card check" idea, I presume. The issue there is not secret versus open ballot.

Card check - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The problem doesn't coming in the election itself, but in the process of organizing it, which must be done with the knowledge and possible interference (both legal and illegal) of management. In the words of Rep. George Miller, who sponsored the Employee Free choice Act:

The current process for forming unions is badly broken and so skewed in favor of those who oppose unions, that workers must literally risk their jobs in order to form a union. Although it is illegal, one-quarter of employers facing an organizing drive have been found to fire at least one worker who supports a union. In fact, employees who are active union supporters have a one-in-five chance of being fired for legal union activities. Sadly, many employers resort to spying, threats, intimidation, harassment and other illegal activity in their campaigns to oppose unions. The penalty for illegal activity, including firing workers for engaging in protected activity, is so weak that it does little to deter law breakers.

Even when employers don't break the law, the process itself stacks the deck against union supporters. The employer has all the power; they control the information workers can receive, can force workers to attend anti-union meetings during work hours, can require workers to meet with supervisors who deliver anti-union messages, and can even imply that the business will close if the union wins. Union supporters' access to employees, on the other hand, is heavily restricted. The advantage of card check, in which a majority of the workers in a business indicate their desire to form a union through sign-up, is that it can be done without running into these intimidation tactics by management. Obviously, if that weren't an issue, a secret ballot would be preferable.

And why should ‘small d’ feed ‘big D’ and it somehow not be a political issue? Oh, it's a political issue, all right. Quite aside from partisan politics, it's all about power, and who holds it. Unions are a serious threat to the power of the bosses. Naturally they're opposed, and like all issues of power, it's political. It translates into the partisan sphere because the GOP exists to support corporate power and the privilege of the wealthy; it has no other reason for existence as a party. So unions are, inherently, an attack on the Republican core constituency.

[Pvfcadbh]

We've had a pro-union guy right here on the forum talk about unions employing violence against "scabs". Intimidation isn't a tool employed solely by management.....

[CelexaNY]

. . . If I was in a union and paying dues to support opinions I didn’t believe in, I’d be pissed off. If I was working hard and believed in my job and everyone around me could care less, I’d be pissed off union or not. If I, and many Americans, didn’t have nice benefits like public employees do, I’d be pissed off (since we are ultimately paying for them).

Finally, the public pays for public workers. The public workers pay dues to their union. Their union has a decided political agenda to support the left: Democrats (regardless of the workers input). So the tax payers of America are paying to support Democrats without a counterbalance for Republicans. I’d be pissed off regardless of party affiliation. Guess what? It pisses me off.

Public workers ordinarily receive their compensation from taxpayer sourcing. However, all such earned compensation is the property of the employees who performed the requested services for the stated price and/or benefits, not the taxpayer. It is no longer tax dollars at issue. It is a private individual's earned compensation for a job no different than a private sector's employee's compensation and the person can do what they wish with it within the law.

If workers at a certain employer have decided to engage in collective bargaining via a union and make such contractual relations with the employer to require union membership and negotiate with the union, etc, then any prospective employee takes that as part of their employment terms. They can choose not to work there, but if they do and such unionised arrangements have been made, then that's the game plan at that job that the employee must either accept or decline the job. In short, if they accept the job, then they've consented to the agreement. Whether they like those terms or how any aspect might play out from time to time is irrelevant. In a public sector job, the unions are being paid by the employees via their salaries, so it's not taxpayer money at issue.

Although generally supportive of Democrats, unions do not always support Democrats. Take Governor Walker's exemption of public sector unions that supported him for example. He clearly has no problem with them using 'taxpayer' money via those unions to back him.

As for "If I, and many Americans, didn’t have nice benefits like public employees do, I’d be pissed off," maybe the better response is for union workers to ask such people: "Why do you consent to be given less for more?" "Why do you work at the whims of an employer who can give you less pay, lower or no benefits, fire you at will for whatever reason (even send your job abroad) no matter how well you have performed or loyal you have been to make the owners and management successful, etc?" "Why would you not demand decent working conditions, etc?"

In short, maybe American lower end workers ought to expect more of their employers--and themselves insofar as aspirations and self-respect--in matters of decent treatment for a lifetime of service rather than be a beggar of the good will, if any, in a master/servant relationship over which they consent to have no control except whatever their masters intend to do about them and whatever minimums the law demands that they do for such people (laws of which unions often obtained via such pressures and advocacies upon governments such as child labour laws, holiday scheduling, minimum wages, safety laws, etc against countermeasures of business to the contrary).