PEW did another survey on how much Americans know about what is going on. You can test yourself at the above link. The major finding is that despite news being available 24/7 on cable there has been no increase in the news knowledge of citizens. Looking at the results one reason is that FOX NEWS is again home to the least informed. Only those who don't follow the news are less informed than those listing FOX NEWS as their major news source.
Conservative bloggers cry foul over this report as it asked about minimum wages which they believe, incorrectly, only concerns teenagers with part-time jobs. They also argue that characterizing a Supreme Court Justice as liberal, moderate, or conservative is an opinion and not a news fact.
Take the test.
The Economic Policy Institute (EPI) found that a majority -- 53 percent -- of those who would be affected by the Democratic minimum-wage proposal are full-time workers (at least 35 hours a week), if the federal minimum wage were increased by 2008, 14.9 million workers would see their wages rise, and that those affected by a minimum-wage increase would be mainly adults who typically work full time and provide significant income to their families. Almost half, 46%, of all families with affected workers rely solely on the earnings from those workers.
NPR reported that the judge was not just XXXXX but "very, very, very XXXXX."
I got all correct, better than 96% of those polled, but I am a news junky constantly looking for my next fix.
3 comments:
I actually agree with the conservative bloggers' argument. I called Roberts a moderate--obviously he had conservative leanings, but compared to Alito and other judges, he's much more moderate.
they could have come up with better questions. Like: 1. The U.S. is a member of the International Criminal Court. True or False. What is "peak oil"? How does the value of the euro compare to that of the dollar? What is the mission of the IAEA? things like that.
The only two news organizations that actually looked at John Roberts record and decisions found that he was not moderate but conservative, very much so, "very, very, very conservative" in the words of NPR's Nina Totenberg. The McClatchy newspapers, who did the best reporting on Iraq, also gathered researchers to go through his decisions and were somewhat shocked at his conservativism.
John Roberts benefited from a well run media campaign and that, like Reagan and Glen Beck to give two examples, he seems like a nice guy, very personable.
The conservative American Enterpise Institute's Ornstein also called John Roberts "a very conservative guy and a strict constructionalist" in warning that Alito was not a strict follower of the Constitution but was probably an idealogue intent on expanding executive power.
Ok, I'll concede the point. But liberals viewed Roberts as the best appointee they could get under the circumstances.
For the sake of 21st century law and technology, I'd like the next prez to nominate Larry Lessig as Supreme Court Justice. But gosh, there are so many social issues that need to be revisited!
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