Normally, I like infographics. Used correctly, they convey a lot of useful information in an understandable format. However, they can be misused.
An example of infographic misuse is shown below. It comes from Mayor Bloomberg's Illegal Mayors and their Demand Action project.
What the infographic doesn't tell you is that Harry Reid (D-NV) set the bar at 60 votes for any amendment to S. 649 to forestall any efforts at a filibuster. It was part of the motion to proceed to consideration of the bill and to accelerate the discussion. Otherwise, there would have been 30 hours of debate and Harry Reid didn't want the details of Manchin-Toomey subjected to that much sunlight.
Moreover, their argument that five senators representing four states which comprise 1.4% of the US population is specious. You could make the equally valid argument that the six senators from three states - Vermont, Rhode Island, and Delaware - put Manchin-Toomey over the 50 vote mark. These three states, by the way, represent a mere 0.8% of the US population.
Jame Taranto of the Wall Street Journal in his Best of the Web Today column calls these efforts "a thuggish majoritarian rhetoric". It helps put this infographic - which is nothing but authoritarian propaganda - into perspective.
And just how much money have the Senators who voted for restricting our rights received from Bloomberg?
ReplyDeleteThis infographic proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Illegal Mayors Against Constitutional Rights believe that your natural rights are subject to a majority vote, either in the Senate, or in opinion polls. Notice also that opinion polls are purported to carry the same as vote of our duly elected representatives in the Senate.
ReplyDeleteThese people are statists and tyrants, pure and simple, and are in no way, shape or form American. They do not know what the word means.
you beat me to it, the first thought that came to my mind was "how much of bloomberg's money was getting spread around on the democrat side?"
ReplyDeleteFigures lie and liars figure... sigh... And you can bet Bloomie funded all or a major part of that...
ReplyDeleteLet's not forget the fact the "deciding votes representing 1.4%" and "45 senators representing 37%" of the US population killing the bill ... is EXACTLY how the Senate was DESIGNED to work.
ReplyDelete