July 2, 2007

The talk about imposing a “fairness doctrine” on radio and TV has now migrated from the fringes of the far left to some of the senior Democrats on Capitol Hill—including Senators Feinstein, Durbin and Kerry.

Believe it or not, these legislators appear to be serious about abusing the power of the federal government to control the political programming private companies would be allowed to broadcast, and to prevent the public from choosing stations that sounded “too one-sided” to bureaucrats.

This chilling prospect reflects the totalitarian temptation at the heart of today’s so-called “progressive” agenda. Leftists trust bureaucrats to determine the cars you’re allowed to drive, the guns you’re allowed to own, the terms of employment you’re allowed to negotiate and the sort of political messages you’re allowed to receive. Conservatives prefer free-market solutions and open competition—in mass media and elsewhere—because we trust the people more than the regulators.

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