Posted on 06/22/2009 2:00:46 PM PDT by moneyrunner
“Reason” illustrates the way the MSM – and my local paper, the Virginian Pilot – treats the subject of budget shortfalls on the part of state and local governments. I don’t attribute it to the fact that the spouses of people in the news business typically work for the government, which would be crass. No, I attribute it to the bias in the MSM to government as the answer … to any question.
Workaday Media Bias and State Budget Crises, Example #1 shows the typical manner in which pretty much any newspaper views government spending.
The only bit in the entire 1,283-word article that even references the widespread and routine state spending increases before the crisis hit is this brief attributed paragraph, presented as if the natural order of things is government growth above and beyond that of inflation and population:
While state general fund spending typically increases by about 6 percent a year, it is expected to decline by 2.2 percent for this fiscal year, Mr. Pattison said. The last year-to-year decline was in 1983, he said, on the heels of a national banking crisis.
How is this viewed?
"These are some of the worst numbers we have ever seen," said Scott D. Pattison, executive director of the National Association of State Budget Officers[.] And have the poor state governments have been starved all these many years so that now that revenue is down because people have been thrown out of work they are on starvation budgets? Well ....
(Excerpt) Read more at moneyrunner.blogspot.com ...
And have the poor state governments have been starved all these many years
My Ass! California has added 50,000 government jobs in the last 5 years.
Indeed. When California signed their budget deal last year, I defended the Republicans that went with it because I thought they were doing what they needed to do to save the state. Then I found out that 90% of California agencies had ADDED staff the same year. I felt like the chump of the century.
When there is no more money you budget.
they are buying into the Paul Krugman line that only gubbermint employees buying new pencils and underwear at WalMart are keeping the economy afloat
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