Freedom Of Speech ... If We Can Manage To Think For Ourselves

By nature, most of take what we see at face value. But I can't help but wonder if news media outlets, for whatever reason, attempt to "contaminate" our basic deductive reasoning skills and sense of what is important. For instance, if the price of a half gallon of milk were to escalate 20 or 30 cents in one shot, I find it hard to imagine that consumers would be up in arms for weeks. But if gasoline prices go up 10 cents, buyers are quick to complain about the cost to fill their gargantuan, fuel hog SUV's. Suppose a cup of coffee at the local quick mart went up 15 cents overnight. Most would pay the difference without even noticing. What's really more important? Are we all that easy to taint ... just by the evening news telling you what to be concerned about? I wasn't aware Dan Rather knew all of his viewers that well ... to be able to custom tailor the nightly report just for them.