The Government and Blogs Don't Mix

According to respected pollster, Rasumssen Reports, a recent poll found that 11% of Americans favored government regulation of blogsites. Its scarry that its that high. And 23% were not sure. The Obama administration has been sniffing around this issue for a while now wishing it could intrude on yet another area of life and "help" people avoid wrong thoughts. The same poll also reveals that:

"The Federal Trade Commission this week released new guidelines requiring bloggers to disclose any gifts or payments they get from companies for reviewing their products, and Americans are more comfortable with that kind of regulation. Forty-five percent (45%) think such a requirement is a good idea, but 32% oppose it. Twenty-three percent (23%) are undecided."

Good grief! How about if Obama just would keep his campaign promise not to appoint lobbyists to all sorts of posts in his adminstration? Would not that do more for democracy than getting into the regulation of the Internet? This is just the thin edge of the wedge.

Conservative and liberal bloggers have been a thorn in the side of statist types of all political stipes and that is all to the good. The government can jolly well keep its grubby hands off our little speck of independence. Blogs have been putting pressure on the mainstream media for not covering stories because of political bias and they have made it more difficult for spin doctors to manage the message to the masses. If they keep this up they will make themselves utterly indispensible to the democratic process.

How about a "Keep the Grubby Hands of Our Political Elites Off Cyberspace" ammendment to the Constitution? For heavens sake, if they feel the urge to censor something and just can't help themselves let them take on the multi-billion dollar porn industry and leave us political and religious bloggers in peace. Maybe we should form the NBA: "The National Blog Association" modelled on the National Rifle Association. Charleton Heston, where are you when you are really needed?

Honestly, it makes you feel like moving to Texas, buying a gun, finding an independent church and becoming a libertarian. I still can't believe 11% of Americans think this is a good idea. Hurmph.