I have a little trouble pronouncing my last name.  It has too many letters but I know how it sounds.   Some think that when they hear their last name its about getting in trouble.  Not me!  I know that I’m going to get something good when that happens.

I had  good career.  I have little jobs I do in the neighborhood.  I carry toys out to the park for my Dad to play with.  See, dad has a certain disability, he can’t quite understand me sometimes and needs the exercise.   I think he has a speech impediment also.  See I’ll say things to him and I know he wants to communicate, but instead he makes sounds that I sort of recognize as language, but don’t really understand.

My dad is something else.  At night, he would tell me stories about my great uncle Riley Otumsnotums the 2nd who invented gravy.  One of my favorites was the story of my great great great grandfather Riley Otumsnutums the Great who was the father of all of us Otumsnotums.  Riley the great helped start a something called the United States of America by helping the very first president.

Now, I know my dad might be making up some of this.  He also probably exxagerates so I’ll feel important.  Every night he tells me about one of my great relatives.  Even if it isn’t all true, I listen anyway, I like his voice and how his face lights up when he’s saying something that I need to think is important.

I have to look out for him so I stay on the bed to make sure he didn’t fall off, and to protect from burglars or other bad things.

I have a great mom too.  Her voice was like soft silk.  She would sing songs to me that always made me feel good.  Although, mom had this pesky habit of always cleaning my eyes looking at my teeth.  I don’t really know what that was about, but I just let her do it because it seemed to make her feel good.

I learned a few things too.  I learned how the practice playing the piano on my dads arm.  Af first It was odd, but, I found that the better I got at it, that little snacks would suddenly appear.

I think I’m like anyone else.  I like my parents, I love steak, bacon, eggs, a nice walk at sunset and just relaxing and enjoying family time.

I’m better now, but for awhile there I had to go away to stay with some other people.  I think it was a hotel, but with pretty good service.  I’m sure my mom was calling in to make sure they checked my eyes and heart rate and what not.   The food wasn’t all that great but, the people for the most part were real nice.  My mom and dad would come and visit me every day.  They really made over me, but , I wasn’t really felling all that good.  Dad says I lost my appetite, but, I just wasn’t hungry.  He brought me me some things from home so I’d feel better.  It didn’t matter I was just happy to see them, but I wasn’t feeling so well.   The nice people that were watching out for me had all sorts of sparkly things they’d show me. Some of them stung a little bit, but they’d smile and comfort me afterwards.

Then one day, mom and dad they returned.  I was taking a nap and one of the nice people came to get me.  They said I could go home.   Shucks, I was kinda getting used to everyone.  I think I even had a girlfriend or two, or at least could have if I had stayed.  Strange, they were happy for me to leave.

Anyway, back home.  What a thrill. I seemed to have more energy, and felt like I could run a mile. I missed eating mom and dads home cooking.  Dad told me we’re gong to see grandma and grandpa.  They’re old you know so it’s good to see them while we can.  I love it down there.  There’s always some activity to keep my interest.  I also have other friends to play with down there.  I don’t exactly know where it is and can’t pronounce the name, but its about a naps worth of time to get there, as long as my dad’s driving.  If mom’s driving, all bets are off.

After thanksgiving I started feeling a bit odd.  I was tired and lethargic and my legs weren’t doing what they were.  One day in the middle of the day, mom came home. I thought that unusual but I’m always happy to see her, but this day, I really wasn’t feeling so up to snuff.   We hopped in the car and I was back at the hotel with those friendly people again.  I felt bad for a few of them for they seemed quite worried and I would have done anything to make them feel better.   I was thinking my dad could tell them about Riley Otumsnotums the 5th, who laid out train tracks across this great land.  He and my mom were sad too.

A couple of days went by, I think.  The nice people brought me more shiney things to look at.   This time they didn’t sting.   I was there a lot longer than before, but my mom and dad seemed t always be around when I awoke.

Now the bad part,  I apparently wasn’t eating enough so I found myself with a tube through my nose and pumping food into my stomach.  It didn’t last very long though.  I guess my mom and dad got real sad about that then came and picked me up.   The people at the hotel felt bad about my lousy stay so they made up for it and  gave me a little going away present , a sweater with a big heart on it.    I wasn’t mad at them, I just wasn’t feeling to good and was so happy to see my mom and dad.

We went home, and I was pooped.  I couldn’t stand up like I used to.  Dad made me a plate of steak and little bits of bacon.  I did what I could to eat a few to make him feel better, but I really wasn’t up to it.  They made a fire in the fireplace and put me on a chair so I could watch it with them.  Mom sang little songs to me and dad took some pictures.

I think the air must have thickened up while I was gone.  I found I had to breath more and more every minute.   I tried to stand up,even take a little walk but I was exhausted.  I fell down, my mom started crying, my dad did too.  They picked me up and took me back inside.  They had food and drink ready for me but I just wasn’t up to it.   I just wanted to be held.  My mom held me for hours.

I remember that day well.   Dad was crying, mom was crying and singing songs.  Dad got on his phone and called someone and I heard my name.  I figure he’s just gonna help make it better and he did.  I really wasn’t feeling so hot, something was wrong, but dad and mom were gonna fix it.

A couple of hours later, a nice lady showed up at our house. Her name was Dr. Anne.   I was too tired to give her proper salutations so I stayed with my mom, the pain was really getting to me.   A few minutes later, the pain went away.  I was happy but my mom and dad were crying.

The next thing I know, I’m running and jumping and feeling like a million bucks!   I could see my mom and dad and the lady below, I was flying!   I looked around and it was the most beautiful place imaginable.   I tried to talk to my mom and dad, but they couldn’t here me so high up.  Then a nice man came up to me and explained that I would be taken care of with all the steak, toys, cherrios and pupparoni’s I could handle until my mom and dad got here.   He said it’ll only feel like a little nap and I can be with my mom and dad again and that I should practice on my tricks.  He even showed me a few more!  I looked around and all my relatives my dad told me about every night were right here with me!   I found out though that dad made up a whole lot of the stories, but that’s okay, I loved him and my mom more than anything and can’t wait to go play with them in the park up here.

And that is what I believe my little best buddy would say if he could.  His name was Riley Otumsnotums the 3rd, he passed away on December 22nd 2009 and is missed by all who met him.

Riley Otumsnotums the 3rd  was my best friend, my little canine buddy who passed away from liver failure and diabetes two days before Christmas in 2009.  He will always be in my heart and my wife’s heart and is missed by many.  My dad taught me to forgive, my dog taught me how to love.

Much like a home won’t sell if it doesn’t show well, neither does a talking head, or disjointed video that’s boring, that the audience doesn’t watch. You can’t expect to promote your brand and make money, if you’re putting a crummy foot, half effort, forward for your first impression.

Jessica Kizorek and Steve Young, [2] online video marketing experts, point out that even if you are to get millions of hits, poor quality, boring material works against the marketing efforts.
Unfortunately, apparently facts don’t matter to some. There is still a mindset that regarding web video, quality doesn’t matter and that audiences expect, low resolution, home made video.

This couldn’t be farther from the truth. You are wise to reject that notion. When did your image, your brand stop mattering? Simply take a look at how television, commercials, radio, movies and advertising business works. The audience experience matters. Every picture has a purpose and should convey something to the viewer.

Simply making a video is not the same as creating a good, effective, cohesive, interesting, short video that a viewer likes and responds to. Can you afford run off your business? With millions of talking head social videos out there, that all look and sound the same, one promoting themselves needs to do something to stand out, that is quality.

Certainly, if the audience is enjoying the content, the low technical quality, and the non-professional narration is overlooked but, they won’t forgive you for wasting their time. Quality isn’t just the photography, sound or editing. Quality applies to the content, the delivery, the structure, and the approach. It is about having something there for the audience.

While some might get lucky with the home candid camera, successful creators considered what the audience wanted to hear and see, clarity and cohesion. The video is short, on point and engaging. Good video content can be created even with limited technology, but simply scripting then shooting it isn’t the starting point.

Creating good content, or quality, starts by having a clear objective, a strategy for the video or web series, and spending time designing and planning.  It requires knowing, who you wish to reach and what you want to say to them, then developing an interesting approach and “language” to do so. It requires defining clear and substantive objectives. The distribution must be taken under consideration.  Pencil and paper gets used, long before a camera rolls. Your video’s objective should consider what you want the audience to think, do, feel.  It should be more than just, get exposed, inform them, or generate sales. You should consider the “how”.

Video is a great medium for emotion and perception, but a lousy medium for detail. Not wasting your audience’s time is one aspect of a quality video. What many talking heads on Youtube spend eons explaining things “at us”, that can be communicated more clearly in 15 seconds if it were simply thought about beforehand. And yes, they scan ahead to see what’s in store.  Perhaps you could illustrate a concept, or use props in your presentation do demonstrate.

Video is motion pictures, a language of its own. It is enjoyed when there is motion, substance, things changing and offers even a basic enjoyable visual experience. It is a great medium for creating emotion, perception, and basic overview, but a lousy one for details, and you have them for about 3 minutes these days.

Consider this; why does a skateboarding dog video get so many hits? Simple, there’s something there for the viewers. They question one must ask when considering their video message, is, what is the “skateboarding dog” part? What can be done that will intrigue an audience? Yes, you can! It might be that you’ve filmed your video in an interesting place, or have a cool, and non-profound tip to share, or even bothered to shoot more than one angle, or had other illustrations or pictures.

Hits don’t matter if the media isn’t engaging. Thinking about only hits and making money is putting the cart before the horse, the horse being good video.

Regarding viewer choices,  In a white paper for The American Association of Advertising Agencies (AAAA)  Jessica Kizorek explains, “Their behaviorisms exhibit a strong sense of opinion and correlated action..” [3] She highlights a few viewer perceptions when they consider watching, or continuing to watch video on their screen:

“I’m not interested,
“You are boring”
“You are not worth my time.”

I would add, “this sucks”, “what an idiot” and “give me a break”. If your audience just thought that, your efforts failed, if not backfired. Despite the facts, we continue to see a mishmash of boring long video that we’re supposed to be thrilled with.

You create the audience experience first by solid objectives and approaches, then what you do with all of the elements that make your show.  Your appearance, delivery, the content, language, pace, camera, sound, the frame, the background ALL go into the audience experience. Just because you made a video, starring you, doesn’t mean it is good, or worth watching, or engaging, or effective, despite what your close friends might say. If all you are going to do is have one shot and speak for four to five minutes, you’ll probably have better luck with an audio podcast versus video. Show your audience pictures, graphics that’s why they’re watching! Given the ease of shooting, integrating pictures, graphics, sounds into the edit these days, there really isn’t any excuse not to depart from the low bar of a straight talking head video. Small tweaks can make huge differences in your production. If you won’t take the time to learn it, I guarantee you, your competition will. Digital media production courses are now becoming business degree requirements at many universities throughout the country.

Don’t make the common mistake that video is video. That is like saying a 10 year old Chevy Geo is the same as a new BMW since they’re both cars. If the video is just you talking, is that enough to distinguish yourself from the millions of others doing the same? Now, if it were you talking while juggling cats, perhaps might be onto something.

As an example of having something there for the audience, in one of my real estate virals, I use a free computer animated software called Xtranormal® to create an animated scenario that makes one simple point about low-ball offers. It was done to intentionally attract a younger audience that might be buying a home the first time. It gets watched because, there’s something there for them, a little entertainment and visual interest, in a form they identify with. Is it immediate business? No. Did it build trust and leads for later? Yes. Does it fit with my overall video objective and online web video marketing efforts? Yes, I get remembered. You can see more at my YouTube channel.

The fact is that web video is maturing. Business video doesn’t get a hall-pass, like the funny home videos. Delivery, content, subject, quality matters, your brand matters, all taking the most important factor into consideration, the audience. Just as one’s website creates a perception in the consumer’s mind about that business, so too does one’s web video. Simple preparation and simple techniques can vastly improve the overall quality of the videos you produce.

To continue to publish the typical talking head web video is like saying; “please don’t hire me for I don’t have the sense to get help to do this well, and even worse; I don’t care about you the viewer.”
This doesn’t mean you need Hollywood budgets to create professional looking work. You can make good content, even low quality, if you are willing to spend a little time thinking things through, and get some basic guidance. Racing off to lay down your wisdom on camera, is not a great way to do this.

There are many situations where the video quality can be awful, but the piece still works. Take a sewer line repair company where the contractor wasn’t well spoken, but, there were shots and explanation of what they do. The technical quality lacked, but, there was something for the audience, a story on how they replace sewer lines. The point is, the ditch digger wasn’t presenting himself as a skilled negotiator, a financial professional. In his case, the video was cohesive with regards to what he was presenting. Imagine if he was in a suit and tie, in an office.

The location you film in and what’s in the frame matters. These are part of your show and the audience experience, and as important as your words. In video, it is a concert of many elements that differentiate the good from the bad video. Seriously, something as simple as opening up the background and composing where the subject is in the frame can make a huge difference.

So, the answer to those seeking ways to make money with web video is to start with a solid foundation of something good that an audience will enjoy watching, then get some help distributing it. Bloggers, experts, marketers including The Economist [5] and Wall Street Journal [6] write about the move towards video content.  Ray Flanders, from WSJ  makes it clear that “great content” is a necessity and the foundation for any effective web video effort.[7]

How To Create Good Programming Without Experience 

So, how on earth do you create good material without any experience or talent?  Take some time to really think about the audience experience, the video’s objective, subject development, approach, thoughtful production and editing. Consider your business, your customers (audience) interests & needs and design your approach to that. The slick camera, the editing system manufactures the material into a show, the technology does not make the video, nor will just your great personality. The gray matter does. The old saying, “if it isn’t on the page, it isn’t on the stage” applies to anyone seeking to make good content. Once you have some clear objectives, a target audience, you need to develop your script and find that “skateboarding dog”.

If the objective is only what you want to say, or hire me, you’re short changing yourself. A good objective would be;  to build brand trust (sell me) by presenting an unknown, yet helpful & profitable tip in an interesting fashion. Or, to present boring information, short and sweet in a clever way that demonstrates a that I care about my audience. Or, to integrate something personally identifiable, a non industry regular life tip.  Be sure these are good tips, not like ” don’t touch a hot stove” profoundness.

A good way to start is by taking a blank piece of paper. At the top, put I wan the video to… or I want the audience to…, and start brainstorming.  Write down anything that comes to mind.   If you want your audience to watch again, that’s a different objective  than I want them to call right away and you’d consider different approaches, language and topics.  Now, how many of those talking heads have you seen that appear to have designed their piece that way.

Get some guidance. If you go searching for a video about how to do a video, you might find yourself a little disappointed. Don’t worry! The craft is actually learned by getting a little guidance from a mentor, a nearby film school, books, hands on seminars, tech tutorials online, and practice. A quick search on Amazon for “web video production” will return many useful books. You might even consider finding seminars and workshops available in your area.

With a little bit of thinking, a little bit of guidance, and simple tricks, you can begin making good videos that help you stand out. Just to begin thinking about something other than just a talking head has you on the right road!

So, grab a legal pad and a few pencils, and start jotting down what you want your video to accomplish, what you want your audience to experience and start there!

Making Money

According to two leading online video distribution experts, Jenni Powel & Susan Miller, “There is no quick fix, no formula to making money with web video” . [4] But, a sure fire way not to make a dime, is to put up your talking head, annoying brand busting video that is just another grain of sand on the beach.

My expertise is about creating the good content and I’ve done that time and time again. I leave the distribution and monetization who do that for a living. There are plenty of companies that can help you get your video out there. Here are some companies that help businesses create or market their videos and offer other tips:

Showmethebook.com; Jessica Kizorek’s site and good example of a not so boring talking head.
Turnhere distribution
http://www.tubemogul.com/

Those who still subscribe to the “it doesn’t need to be good for the web” fallacy, are in for a big surprise in the near future when their competition blows their doors off, creatively speaking. The technology is getting easier to use and readily available. Hopefully, the surprised are your competition.

Tony Pfau is an award winning film and commercial director with over 30 years of experience. He’s been teaching at the Colorado Film School for over a decade. He offers workshops to help businesses and organizations develop good effective video presentations for their web video marketing. Find out about getting seminars for your organization here: http://avpfilms.net

See his collection of real estate web videos here: http://youtube.com/tonypfau (please email me to get the links, the videos have been turned to private when author put license inactive)

[1] http://showmethebook.com/ Jessica Kizorik 2010 web; Trendstream & Lightspeed Research

[2] http://www.turnhere.com/blog/post/why-quality-matters-when-using-online-video/

[3] showmethebook.com “Free Brief” http://showmethebook.com/pdf/JessicaKizorek-AAAA-MediaMatters-OnlineVideo.pdf

[4] http://www.scribemedia.org/2010/11/16/monetizing-original-web-programming/

[5] http://www.economist.com/node/17493438

[6] Flandez, Raymond, Wall Street Journal “Threee Best Ways to Make A Viral Video” Web. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204488304574435020939186220.html

[7] ibid

George Orwell illustrated the manipulation of the population through the media in his book “1984”.  The “Ministry of Truth” [i] was a branch of government that wrote the news to propel its propaganda, facilitate the party agenda, and control the people. The current similarities are frightening. Today, we see reports of the economy growing, production is up, job creation and support of an agenda that threatens liberty.  Unfortunately, despite the trumpeting, the people are not seeing the results of the alleged economic recovery in housing, jobs, or sentiment in the market.

In 1946 Supreme Court Justice Justice Felix Frankfurter stated, “Without a free press there can be no free society … Without a lively sense of responsibility a free press may readily become a powerful instrument of injustice.” (Penneckamp v. Florida). Faced with today’s issues, advocacy of bad policy could easily become the “instrument of injustice.” Spewing half-truths or talking-points seems to be par for the course anymore. A compliant press that advocates government policy presents a threat to liberty just as any approaching army.  Americans deserve a responsible press that will find the other half of the truth to protect against despotism. Why are they derelict?

Some may say the media can only report what the government tells them.  Sure, that might be valid if the government had a track record of being truthful. Of late, there is more than enough reason to question the government’s honesty and its motives. The responsible action would be to verify and get the whole story before rushing it to press. If there is more to a story, then that should be said.  Without investigation, the race to get the story out simply facilitates government’s efforts to spin; half-truths become the whole story

Trusted sources appear to be willing, or unaware accomplices in the political deception game.  For example, John Cassidy wrote an article in The New Yorker in his article “No Credit”[ii] that offers praise to Timothy Geithner.  Mr. Geithner parrots the administration’s claims that the stress tests saved the country from the second great depression.  The problem, Cassidy never questioned the claim or explained exactly how simply doing their job saved us all from certain devastation.  He touted economic growth, but failed to expand on the factors that made up the small increase in GDP or how GDP was stated. The article presents an illusion of a balanced piece, but upon a closer look, it is subtle cheerleading for the administration’s big government policies. The danger lies in the fact that the issues are so complex that it is easy to fool the average person, a goal of many politicians.  A misled public can end up supporting people and policies that are oppressive or pose disastrous economic consequences.

The Associated Press released a report detailing key aspects of the financial overhaul bill being considered by Congress. It was quickly chirped by newspapers across the country.  While it did give a brief overview of some of the key aspects, it left out one very important and dangerous part. The article is silent about the power that would be handed to the executive branch. If passed, it would give the president the power to seize private financial businesses and or issue edicts without those businesses having any sort of judicial review, the ability to take their case to a court. Dick Morris in his article for The Hill, “Obama’s Terrible Powers”, and other conservatives were quick to report this. As usual, it was generally ignored by many in the main stream media.  Handing over Chavez style totalitarian power to the executive branch should be on the front page of every major newspaper. The omission, intentional or through dereliction, should give pause to every individual in the country.

The recent health care legislation debate was the mother load of misdirection and divisiveness.  Conveniently, after the bill passed, the Department of Health and Human Services confirmed what many opposing the bill were saying, that the bill would indeed raise health care costs.  The country was just lied to, again. Americans knew it, just as Mr. Geithner said, “Americans are not economically illiterate, quite the opposite…” [iii] The question looms, how did skepticism get replaced with homage?

The attacks on the TEA Protestors are an alarming omen of oppression.  The protestors are but ordinary citizens that are exercising their right to oppose an expanding government.  Many in the main-stream media think it their job to disparage and paint a scary picture of these Americans. Commentators chuckle amongst themselves as they describe the people as tea-baggers, racists, homophobes, rednecks, illiterates, Klan members and more. These attacks harmonize party efforts to marginalize the movement.

Rachel Maddow from MSNBC and others bugle their contempt of the TEA party, almost to the point of obsession. Considering that the website The Hill reports a poll showing 40% of Tea Party Activists identify themselves as democrat or independent, the attacks are not on her nemesis, the conservatives, but on the American people.  Even in Mr. Cassidy’s report from the highly recognized New Yorker[iv], he slips in his dig at those “…right wing Tea Party activists”

Taking elitism to new levels, both President Obama and former President Clinton joined the chant against the TEA Party movement.   President Obama jokes that they “…should be saying thank you”. President Clinton implies a link between the movement and terrorist violence. These two offenses are disturbing and dangerous. The media who failed to see the inappropriateness of the attacks, offer advocacy in their silence.  The headlines should have read -How Dare You Mr. President.

Instead, the compliant main stream media waves red pom poms of support. Tea Party Protestors are being presented as Orwell’s “Emmanuel Goldstein, the enemy of the people.” Televisions and computers screens todays “Telescreen” broadcasting the “Two Minute Hate.”[v] Sadly, the situation is a welcomed delight of the administration and current party in power; a despot’s dream come true. Left unopposed, who will be next?

From the truth rises the pillar of freedom.  Our battle for liberty and economic recovery will not be won from a violent uprising, or a liberal media suddenly abandoning their bias. Liberty will be preserved by the efforts of individuals who courageously work to uncover the truth and demand the same from the press.

Abraham Lincoln understood the value of truth when he said “Let the people know the facts, and the country will be safe.” But today, President Ronald Reagan’s famous words “Trust but verify” are a needed addendum, lest appointments for room 101[vi] become mandated by Congress under the commerce clause.

Anthony Pfau is a freelance conservative filmmaker and filmaking instructor http://avpfilms.net

[i]Orwell, George 1984. New York: Signet Classic. 1977. p12

[ii] Cassidy, John. “No Credit.” The New Yorker. http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/03/15/100315fa_fact_cassidy (accessed May 01, 2010).

[iii] ibid. as quoted in

[iv] ibid.

[v] Orwell, George op. cit. p12-16

[vi] Orwell, George op. cit. P196

The first clue about Mr. Cassidy’s point of view was his proclamation that Senator Lindsay Graham, a liberal Republican, was on the right. Voting record analysis of Lindsay Graham shows he is not considered a right leaning politician, but a moderate. (GovTrack) Most Republicans will tell you that he masquerades as a republican, but votes like a Democrat.

The article presents Geithner’s claims that the bank stress tests were instrumental in saving the financial crisis from turning into another great depression, but failed to elaborate as to how exactly that worked. This recitation of the administrations talking points is troubling, for it is widely known that the administration is not forthcoming with accurate claims regarding the economy, tax hikes and so forth. Much like George Orwell’s “Ministry of Truth”, (7) Americans are increasingly faced with facts that have been spun to promote an agenda, not getting the full story, so suspicion of an article giving credit to one of the cabinet members should be expected.

Cassidy expounds on some increase in economic activity after the stress tests and gives some credit to stimulus spending, but did not make a direct cause and effect connection. Shoring up the financial institutions to restore confidence, particularly after the Troubled Asset Relief Program debacle in 2008, known as TARP, was indeed a prudent act by Geithner, but in light of TARP, should not that have been done anyway? Could not they have simply raised the capital requirements without the cover of stress tests?

From TARP to the stress tests to fiscal policy, the administration’s claims of saving the day with miraculous brilliance have been challenged by other economic experts. There are many reports that many in the financial industry did not think the stress tests were necessary, instead a dog and pony show. Chris Whalen thinks “stress tests are more about public posturing by the government than getting to the bottom of the economic crisis.” (qtd. in Borchardt) William Black, a former senior S&L regulator and professor of economics and law, says “It’s a Potemkin model built to fool people.” (qtd. in Task) Michael Brush from MSN Money reports that regulators routinely test banks for their capital strength, but the problem is that “politicians are involved, a no-no to banking regulators. ” (Brush) If the stress tests were so effective, the question remains, why are we not seeing better results now a year later?

The content of the article and its timing raises some questions. Why is it that Geithner must be given credit at this point in time? Could it be that this article it is to provide support for the fiscal policies of the Obama administration? The country faces an increasing government intervention in the private sector combined with increased taxes and regulation from the current administration. Providing a cheerleading section on monetary policy could help them in their efforts, so questioning material that may appear to support this agenda is not only wise, but necessary. Reports of the new financial regulatory overhaul bill that the administration wants began surfacing on April 17. (Superville)

The article rests on the declaration that there is economic recovery or that the slight economic recovery is the absolute indicator that recovery is under way. While this may be true in a semantic or with regards to a slight growth GPD, it is referred to as a jobless recovery and recovery itself the subject of heated debates between economists. (Chan) This was not expanded upon and brushed off as a “recovery none the less.” (Cassidy) Without job growth, economic recovery remains fragile and declarations of such remain suspect in the minds of the American people, particularly from those who do not have jobs.  The unemployment stagnation was not expanded upon.

Cassidy mentions the GDP growth as evidence of the leadership of Geithner if not the administration, but does not mention whether he is citing GDP growth in nominal or real GDP terms, or the baseline. These facts are crucial to analyze growth. There was little mention of what was truly responsible for the slight increase in GDP. If it was due to government spending based on borrowing, that should have been pointed out.

The most controversial action the writer gives credit to is Geithner’s capitalization of profit and socialization of losses program through the public-private investment funding for the Financial Stability Plan. Cassidy balances this left leaning praise by pointing out that Geithner resolutely opposed any policy of nationalizing the banks.

It was amusing, and more telling of pro administration bias, in Cassidy’s reference to “…right wing Tea Party activists” (Cassidy), considering that the website The Hill reports a poll showing 40% of Tea Party Activists identify themselves as democrat or independent. (Miller). Referring to the citizens protesting the administration’s policies as right-wing activists is a mantra being used by those on the left who opposing them to marginalize the movement.

Without journalists holding politicians accountable, we face a far reaching and expanding government that can further thwart recovery. Instead of praising Mr. Geithner, asking him to prove the effectiveness of his claims would have been more valuable.  An explanation on exactly how increasing bank capital prevented the second great depression was in order.

While the larger corporations, and banks supported by taxpayer money, can make it through the economic downturns, small businessmen do not and end up writing research papers as they return to school.

Works Cited

Borchardt, Debra. “Bank Stress Testing Is for Show” TheStreet.com. 22 Apr. 2009. Web. 17 Apr. 2010. <http://www.thestreet.com/story/10489370/bank-stress-testing-is-for-show-analyst.html>.

Brush, Michael. “Why the Bank Stress Tests Are Bunk – MSN Money.” MSN Money.com. 44 Apr. 2009. Web. 17 Apr. 2010. <http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/CompanyFocus/why-the-bank-stress-tests-are-bunk.aspx>.

Cassidy, John. “No Credit” The New Yorker Annuls of Economics 15 Mar. 2010 Web. 1 April 2010

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