David R. Busang – 12/5/04

This page was last updated on December 5, 2004.

Electorate must vote them out; David R. Busang; Beaver County Times; December 5, 2004.

If I didn’t know better, I’d say Mr. Busang is trying to get a job with the Times.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.

“Maybe I didn’t notice before, but lately the paper’s editorials seem to have become very informative on a variety of issues and subjects, starting with the editorial challenging our state lawmakers to do something positive for their ‘employers’ before giving themselves unjustified pay raises.

“The Times subsequently followed this editorial with continuous articles from various sources regarding the issue. So what happened? The electorate became so outraged that our lawmakers didn’t have the courage to address the pay raise issue.

“Then The Times followed up with editorials on the governor’s Growing Greener II program, telling us what it’s all about and its importance.

“And let’s not forget the editorials on the outsourcing of America and our jobs; the meaty issues as it relates to all pork barrel money in the newly passed federal budget; and the continued failure of Congress to fully fund special educational needs of our children.

“And of course, the employment agency our county government seems to have become.

“I can only hope that The Times editorial board will continue to tell it like it is and just maybe the electorate will become as indignant about these other issued as they did about the lawmakers pay raise.

“To quote one of our local state senators referring to the job our lawmakers have been doing, ‘Because at the end of the term, if the people think you haven’t worked hard enough to earn that office, they can put someone else in it’.

“Senator, there’s a good possibility that’s exactly what the electorate will do.”

[RWC] It appears Mr. Busang doesn’t understand the difference between reporting and opinion. The objective of an editorial is to provide opinion and to convince the reader to support the paper’s position. Impartial information is not the objective of editorials.

Most Times editorials have socialist leanings, though they sometimes cave in when even they realize the position they’d like to support is indefensible. Let’s use the Beaver County government overemployment topic Mr. Busang mentioned. It’s my opinion the Times probably had no problem with the situation. After all, the bigger the government the more socialists like it. My opinion is they saw a story, however, and chose self-interest over political philosophy. I believe the same is true for the General Assembly pay situation.

Anyone who believes the Times or any other media outlet “tells it like it is” in an opinion piece needs a wakeup call.