Leslie3174

These days, it means that I have to work very hard to find some semblance of a truth through the cacophony of strident voices throwing around labels and soundbites that confuse, not clarify the issues. But, it's still better than the alternative - i.e. a not free country!

Democracy is a messy business under the best of circumstances, but it seems that one of the worst problems might include the fact that politics has become a career - rather than something you do either when you can afford to or as a sabbatical from your real job. This requires people to raise tons of money and spend more time campaigning than they do actually legislating. And it has put government in the business of protecting business rather than protecting people.

Real campaign finance rules would be a start. Then total transparency under all circumstances would help, and applying constitutional rights, such as free speech, to individuals and not to corporations or business partnerships would also help.
Also term limits at the national level would also help.

Most people I know blame the media for a lot of what's wrong in America today. I'd like to see WNYC really explore the role of the media in depth. What does responsible journalism mean and what does it mean now as opposed to what it means during a war or during say the Civil Rights era? What is the media's role in perpetuating a particular point of view? Should fringe groups, no matter how small or marginalized in a community be given media attention? What is the role of an editor as opposed to a reporter? Does the media have a responsibility to fan the flames of a debate or tamp them down or neither? Is provocative name calling or questioning appropriate in an interview? I think an in depth exploration of this would be really meaningful.