William G. Horter – 12/10/08

This page was last updated on December 10, 2008.

Don’t put blame on government; William G. Horter; Beaver County Times; December 10, 2008.

When Mr. Horter isn’t bashing Republicans in general, and President Bush specifically, he tries to push a taxpayer-funded, government-run healthcare system (some examples are here, here, and here) on U.S. citizens. As time has progressed, Mr. Horter has increasingly resorted to name-calling and personal attacks, especially in his comments on the Times website. Since I don’t know Mr. Horter, I don’t know if he actually believes all the stuff he writes or if he just likes to stir things up. If I were the type to run a disinformation campaign, I’d invent someone like Mr. Horter. After all, the image Mr. Horter projects is a caricature of the stereotypical lefty. I have to believe a large number of lefties cringe whenever they read a comment or letter from Mr. Horter. I know I cringe whenever I read a Horter-quality comment from an alleged righty. Then again, perhaps I’ve overestimating lefties. <g>

Mr. Horter used to be one of our local Republican impersonators (The group also includes Messrs. William A. Alexander, Arthur Brown, Edward “Fellow Republicans” Hum, and George Reese.) who write claiming to be disgruntled Republicans. In June 2008 Mr. Horter wrote, “So after 50 years of being a Republican, I have changed my party. I am now a Democrat.”

History also shows you need to do your own due diligence regarding the “facts” Mr. Horter presents in his letters and the comments he posts on the Times website. Here’s just one example.

Along with other letter writers I’ve mentioned, I wish Mr. Horter could get a regular column in the Times.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.

“Business and their allies, business associations, etc., spend millions on getting their favorite politicians elected.”

[RWC] Pay close attention as you read Mr. Horter’s letter. At the end of this critique I’m going to ask you what’s missing.

“Why do they do this? So their interests get full attention, so much so that the interests of other parts of our economy and country get very little attention.

“I think everyone is aware that our economy has melted down. Letter writer John Haaf (‘Government caused this economic mess,’ Wednesday) blames most of this on government, the very same government that business has bought.

[RWC] Among those businesses is labor union management. Via PACs and 527s, FEC records show labor union management has spent approximately $450 million on federal elections alone since 2000.

“Haaf and others blame government for not watching that business acts ethically. Not once do they ask the real question, why should government have to watch for such sleezy [sic] business practices?”

[RWC] Surprise, that’s not what Mr. Haaf wrote. Mr. Haaf wrote, “More than two years ago, the Bush administration warned Congress of the problems with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.” As you know, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are government-sponsored enterprises whose leadership is appointed by the government. These two GSEs own or guarantee about 50% of the $12 trillion mortgage market. You can learn more about the Fannie/Freddie issue here, here, and here.

“Many of these businessmen make millions, even billions in one year. Sounds as if they must be very smart and wouldn’t require oversight from some congressman making less than $200,000. Bankers making wild, wild loans to the shortsighted manufacturers who have ruined our market by outsourcing so many jobs, thereby removing buyers from their equation. If people have no job, a well-paying job, they can’t buy.”

[RWC] “Bankers making wild, wild loans to the shortsighted manufacturers?” I thought the problem at the center of this mess was mortgage loans to people who could not afford them.

“I disagree with Haaf. It hasn’t been the hand-picked government that is responsible. It is, once again, like 1929 and the S&L failure of two decades ago, business itself.”

[RWC] If you’ve been paying close attention to Mr. Horter’s letters and comments on the Times website, you know his presentation of history is flawed. Mr. Horter would like us to believe the 1929 stock market crash caused the Great Depression. In truth, the “progressive” policies of the Hoover and FDR administrations took what should have been a short-term recession and turned it into a 10+-year depression. In fact, the only thing that ended the Great Depression was World War II.

Likewise, Mr. Horter’s representation of the S&L mess of the 1980s/1990s is flawed. Though there were certainly poor choices made by some S&Ls, Mr. Horter failed to note a chunk of S&L problems was the result of the economy of the late 1970s/early 1980s (high inflation), changes in regulation, and changes in tax policy that tended to devalue S&L holdings.

“It seems something is missing in corporate structure, and that is simply common sense and ethics. A lot is said about personal responsibility. Where in corporate culture has that idea gone?”

[RWC] OK, what’s missing? If you answered, “Bush and/or Republican bashing,” you’re correct. Your assignment is to do your research and figure out why.

FYI, in various threads on the Times website, Mr. Horter did try to blame President Bush and Republicans. Figuring out why Mr. Horter didn’t try that tactic in this letter is part of your assignment.