I know Cal Thomas is hardly our nation's foremost embodiment of intellectual honesty. But this column has to be one of the most Orwellian pieces I've ever read, even by his standards!
Thomas' argument in a nutshell: Allowing consumers to pick à la carte which TV channels they subscribe to amounts a "government official or bureaucrat deciding which cable shows are good for [you]."
Now maybe there is actually a legitimate argument about why such an arrangement would be bad for consumers, an argument more substantive than "Fox News could not have been launched in an a la carte environment." But Thomas sure didn't make it.
I want to pick which cable channels I subscribe to. Apparently, this constitutes the FCC controlling my entertainment choices.
Thomas wants it so I must decide essentially between two choices that Time Warner picks for me. That is the avenue of consumer freedom, according to him.
Just as freedom is slavery, choice and flexibility are bad for the consumer. So says one of our foremost advocates for the 'free market.'
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