Please Save Me From Clean Water & Italian Welders

Once you’ve been able to discard your indoctrinated statist view of the world, it becomes easy to spot statist bias generated by the corporate news media. Just reading a few stories, and sometimes just by scanning headlines, you can readily spot this bias. By statist bias I am referring to the attitude that the state is the great protector of the individual and any private enterprise or free market activity that looks to serve the individual should be viewed with suspicion and even fear.

One such story is this one. The reporter seems amazed that bottled water comes from municipal water supplies (unless otherwise stated on the label). Only a clueless idiot would assume that the water comes from some magic, pure water source. If it did, surely the manufacturer would not hesitate to publicize that fact on the label. The reporter is attempting to create a news story where none exists.

The reporter does admit the value added to the water by bottlers through further filtration and processing. This is a fact any intelligent bottle water purchaser already knows, or maybe does not even care about knowing. But the reporter, of course, believe the masses are ignorant and must be shown what is best for them- for surely they are otherwise incapable of such decisions.

Notice how the reporter attempts to reinforce the myth that municipal water supplies are already acceptable drinking water:

“Dallas water officials point out that city water goes through filtration, chlorination and purification in several stages, too, and is certified safe by both the federal government and the State of Texas.”

Water containing chlorine is certainly not acceptable for drinking water. It is bad for the body and tastes horrible. State provided water also contains a degree of pollutants- enough for millions to judge as unacceptable for drinking water. IQ-reducing fluoride is certainly one significant pollutant. The fact that the water is “certified” by government gangsters is meant as reassurance. But since when is state certification of anything been reassuring or factually accurate?

Instead of celebrating the water bottling companies as true heroes of the marketplace (by providing clean, thoroughly filtered, good tasting drinking water) the reporter attempts to demonize them, peg them with some kind of hidden agenda, while promoting the state’s horrible, unacceptable drinking water.

Another example of statist bias is this story, ironically written by the same reporter and state apologist. It seems that the company contracted to build a new signature bridge in Dallas is using Italian welders. Gasp! Horrors! The implication is, of course, that not just true Amurricans must be hired (in this case, welders) to help build this bridge, but more specifically, Texans must be hired. Why, it just would not be fair otherwise!

Forget the fact that the company contracted to build this bridge certainly knows who should be hired to best do the job. Notice how the reporter is once again creating a story where none exists. He is stirring up sentiments of bigotry and xenophobia to promote the statist, protectionist meme that local workers should be hired to do all local work.

What exactly is a “Texas” welder? How long must a welder reside in Texas to be considered a “Texas” welder- a week, a month, a year? So, a week is long enough? What if one of the Italian welders has already been here two weeks? Is he now more a “Texas” welder than the One Week Texan? Do you see how silly this all is? The reporter is doing nothing more than using names and labels as a screen to cover up blatant bigotry and xenophobia- two attitudes that strengthen state control of industry and individuals.

By recognizing and exposing the media’s statist attitudes and perspectives you learn to quickly judge which information is important and which is just useless drivel. The result is a better informed individual, better armed to defend himself against propaganda, misinformation, and counterproductive prejudices.