When many of us were growing up we watched the nightly news; Walter Cronkite, Huntley-Brinkley. Remember the “Proud as a Peacock” logo on one of these news broadcasts? The news was pretty straightforward and there were many more facts and less editorial comments. In other words, the news was indeed the news. Whatever you watched or listened to, those news inputs made you…. you!
Growing up and spending time with my grandparents at their farm, they didn’t believe in TV. But the radio in the kitchen was a constant companion to my grandmother. Gospel, Country Western music, and the news was just about all that was tuned in. Saturday afternoons there were reruns of old Radio programs; Only the Shadow Knows, Lone Ranger, Amos & Andy, etc. So, it was either the radio or reading one of the many books available, board games, or card games. A much simpler time.
These days we are bombarded with news that isn’t news anymore. Most news broadcasts are talking heads that are expounding on one opinion or another, trying to convince us on a point of view rather than giving the facts and letting us decide what the answer should be. So much of what we see and hear is labeled “Fake News” and it seems that most networks go out of their way to skew the facts to fit their agenda, rather than reporters doing some actual investigative reporting and discovering the “facts”. This epidemic has become so severe that reporters are simply making up their own facts and writing about events that border criminal behavior. But we see very few of these miscreants being punished or brought to task on their obvious lack of truth. But I digress…….
Our youth hear these “stories” and think that they are factual, instead of doing any actual digging for the truth. Their young heads are filled with this mush they are constantly being fed; this has become somewhat dangerous, as they act on fiction. When this happens, it makes me think of the Gilda Radner character on Saturday Night Live who reported the news and was constantly misunderstanding the situation. This ended with her stating “Well…never mind”.
So where do you get your information? How do you check out the facts before you make a decision? With the constant stuff showing up in your mailbox or phone calls wanting one thing or another, what is your filter? Because it can be a case of the adage, “Garbage in, Garbage out”. So, consider the source before you make a selection. Because those decisions will make you…. you.
If you have questions about any aspect of retirement and need facts on either Social Security benefits, Medicare, or Financial Retirement Planning, get the facts first! Call us!
We can help!