A Dozen Reasons Why "The Fairness Docterine" Is A Bad Idea

1. The government can't really run the government...and they think they can determine what constitutes "fair"?
2. The very concept of "fair" is arbitrary...my "fair" may be different that your "fair".
3. Blowhards like Rush Limbaugh don't convince anyone of anything; they simply preach to their respective choirs. Anyone who thinks that Limbaugh's audience needs, wants or would listen to an alternative point of view should email me at genagrippa@gmail.com, as I have some potentially lucrative Serbian real estate deals for you to consider.
   
4. Media is far too twistedly regulated already. Case in point: the government goes nuts over Janet Jackson's breast being shown during prime time. Tell me, how many people are killed in TV shows during prime time? Call me crazy, but I think a nipple is far less dangerous than mock violence, yet one is punished and the other is encouraged. Another case in point: Oprah Winfrey has had TV shows that reference aspects of female sexuality and was applauded for the effort, yet Howard Stern used the same basic language and ended up getting record fines by the FCC.
   
5. Politicians are innately self serving, so any regulations centering around "fairness" would more serve their needs than ours.
   
6. I like the asinine comments by people like Michael Savage and Rush Limbaugh to go unopposed. Seriously, I do. Having an admitted drug addict like Limbaugh say "...and so if people are violating the law by doing drug, they ought to be convicted and they ought to be sent up..." (the Rush Limbaugh Show, October 5, 1995)...is simply priceless.
   
7. The law shouldn't be in the business of under-writing any person's agenda, be they conservative or liberal.
   
8. If we have a Fairness Doctrine for political speech, what next? Perhaps a fairness doctrine for religion too? I don't want to imagine just what would be shown as a counter to something like Benny Hinn's show.
   
9. What degree would a Fairness Doctrine go? Would spew from a "Neo-NAZI Daughters of the Klan" supporter need to be countered by commentary from a representative from the "Destroy Evil Whitey" group?
   
10. Anything aimed at the lowest common denominator of intelligence...i.e. those stupid enough to be swayed by media propaganda (be it left or right leaning)...is inherently an insult to the intelligence of those of us who have more than three functional brain cells.
11. The prospect of a Fairness Doctrine plays into the hands of extremist nut-bags. They love the idea, as it provides some measure of proof that they are somehow right in their rants.
12. Free and unencumbered discourse is the best antidote to the spew of wackos. Sunlight was, is, and always will be the best disinfectant.