I guess I expect too much...or am I just oversimplifying this

Just how far out of whack are the priorities in this country? Tonight I was given a prime example on the local news in Chicago.

Today in this nation we had some significant events/announcements;

• Ford Motor Company announced the plan to close 14 manufacturing plants and cut as many as 30,000 employees from it’s work force. (If the UAW wants a hint of what may be next, just look at the example they have in Caterpillar….the writing is on the wall.)
• The SCOTUS turned down a request to review a patent infringement ruling against Research In Motion, maker of the BlackBerry. This sets this stage for the potential shut-down of all BlackBerry service. (I don’t think that it will happen but the possibility still exists, conventional wisdom says that RIM can keep selling and servicing alive with a settlement to the patent holder of $800 million to $1 billion…..)
• The state of West Virginia was quickly moving forward (too bad the Federal Gvmt can’t do the same) with legislation to make the mining industry safer in that state. Among the proposals is one that would mandate the wearing of electronic tracking devices by miners, and another that would mandate the creation of reserve oxygen stations positioned throughout the mines. (By days end, both of these had been passed by the W. VA House and Senate and signed into law by the Governor.)
• Alan Crotzer was freed after serving 24 years in a Florida prison for crimes he was convicted of, but DNA tests proved, he did not commit.

So which one of these stories made the top story on the local news in Chicago? (Keep in mind that it was announced as “Breaking News”..) Was it job cuts affecting thousands, technology about to be turned off for millions, improved safety for miners or any of the other important/newsworthy stories in this country or around the world??

No, the top story was that a settlement had been announced in an incident at the United Center (Where the Bulls ’NBA’ and Blackhawk’s ‘NHL’ play.)

What was the “incident” you may ask? (go ahead, you may ask….yes, you in the back… oh you want to know what the incident was? Sure let me look up the details on the local Chicago websites as I don’t know either….ok here it is..) Last week during a game between the Chicago Bulls and the New York Knicks, the wife of Antonio Davis (Knicks Forward) had gotten into a supposed argument with a Chicago Bulls fan. Antonio (who was on the court playing) witnessed the ’argument’ and climbed into the stands to defend his wife. No punches were thrown, no pushing or shoving occurred, just some words back and forth and maybe some hands placed on others. Following the incident the fan had asked for an apology and threatened to sue. However today everyone made nice and said in a joint statement that “common sense” should prevail.

Now with everything else of true importance going on, this ‘settlement’ was THE top news story in Chicago.

Note to self….The next time I want to know about things that really matter and may affect the lives of tens of thousands of Americans as well the economy, remember not to look to the news stations in Chicago…. priorities?

I know it’s my fault!! I forgot to tell the news stations that I could give a rats ass about an argument between 3 people at a sporting event that doesn’t mean ANYTHING to anyone except the 3 people involved.

And many of us wonder why so many people are unfamiliar with current events.

Be good, stay informed….later