BCT Editorial – 3/24/09

This page was last updated on March 29, 2009.

Ex post facto; Editorial; Beaver County Times; March 24, 2009.

The editorial subtitle is “House’s anti-bonus bill raises serious constitutional issues.”

There are a few excerpts of note.

First, the editorial asserts we should be outraged by the bonuses paid to some AIG employees. At no point does the editorial explore the nature of and the reasons for the bonuses.

Second, the editorial explains “A bill of attainder is a legislative action by which a person is pronounced guilty of an alleged crime without having a trial. The founding fathers thought this matter was so significant that they enshrined it in the Constitution.” Granted the Times isn’t a legislative body, but how many times have we read editorials pronounce individuals “guilty of an alleged crime without having a trial?”

Third, the editorial said President Obama must veto the bill should it reach his desk, but failed to note Mr. Obama had already expressed support for the bill.

Fourth, the editorial asserted, “We had enough of ignoring constitutional rights under the Bush administration. It’s time to put a stop to the casual abuse of these rights, and this bill is a good place to start.” You’ll note the editorial provided no examples.

Finally, the editorial fails to note the very same people in Congress and the Obama administration who expressed “outrage” with the bonuses knew about the bonuses ahead of time and even approved language in the porkulus bill to protect the bonuses.