Beck dismisses tax cut for vets as "cosmetic"
/Sen. Jennifer Beck dismissed two tax cuts aimed at helping veterans and commuters as "cosmetic." Her comment was made to reporter John Reitmeyer, and appears today in NJ Spotlight.
One of those tax cuts is a $3,000 income-tax cut for honorably discharged veterans and the other is a new state income tax deduction worth up to $500 annually for commuter households making $100,000 or less.
To balance these tax cuts fiscally, the plan is to scrap a proposed state income tax deduction for wealthy people who contribute to charities. The deduction on charitable contributions was strongly supported by Senator Beck and the leader of the Republican caucus, Senator Tom Kean Jr.
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Why is Bill Spadea out-and-out lying on NJ 101.5 and why is his station manager, the Townsquare Media corporation, and the Oaktree Capital Management corporation allowing him to lie? It appears that he has something for Senator Beck that causes him to lose all semblance of objectivity. While this might be understandable, the lengths to which Spadea has taken it are remarkable.
Again, we remind those concerned that the federal government grants for-profit corporations a monopoly on the use of a certain radio frequency provided that they abide by a few rules and regulations. One is that they should at least try to be honest. The FCC website states:
"As public trustees, broadcasters may not intentionally distort the news. The FCC has stated publicly that 'rigging or slanting the news is a most heinous act against the public interest'."
What this means is that a radio station shouldn't out and out lie just to inflame public opinion in an effort to jazz up the ratings in order to sell more advertising and reap a windfall in corporate profits. Neither should it do so because it finds the spokesperson for one position more personally appealing than that of another. Facts and a fair presentation of the arguments on BOTH sides is the only course worthy of the name journalism.
