On Thursday Feb. 24, Columbus Dispatch "Editorial: Sad Spectacle" complained because former Gov. Ted Strickland went to the capitol building to demonstrate support for the union workers. I think the fact the Dispatch was never supportive of Strickland while he was in office unleashed my sense of fair play. So I wrote this letter:
Dear editorial writer,
Please answer me. Why is it OK for you to share your opinion with your readers? You shouldn't do that. It is so unfair for a newspaper owner to use his paper against the workers. You risk being remembered as a bully of the people who buy your paper and put the money in your fat bank account.
That is how you sound complaining about Ted Strickland.
Ted Strickland has just as much right as any human being on this earth, even you Mr. Editor, to voice their opinion. What would you have Ted Strickland do, buy a lazy-boy recliner and stay home watching TV?
Your decision to criticize Ted Strickland shows me exactly who you are as a human being. And the picture I have isn't flattering.
I will remember your decision to stand up for the fat cats when it comes time to resubscribe to your paper.
Shame on you. Your parents are probably ashamed of you too.
Mr. Sheller replied on Feb. 25th:
It is a long tradition for newspapers to have editorial pages in which they express the opinions of the newspaper's management.
Also, the newspaper consistently sticks up for the taxpayers of Ohio, while public-employee unions, which represent a tiny fraction of Ohioans, seek to squeeze as much out of taxpayers as they can. We're not standing up for fatcats, we're standing up for vast majority of ordinary taxpayers, nearly all of whom are WORKERS.
Our editorial acknowledged that Strickland has the right to participate in politics. We just think it makes him look like a sore loser.
All the best,
Glenn Sheller Editorial page editor
And I replied on Feb. 27th:
Dear Mr. Sheller,
Mr. Sheller you must not have read my entire message b/c I said you had a right to your opinion. And I also said so did Ted Strickland. You said Ted Strickland looked like a sore loser b/c he went to the capitol building to show support for the working folks of Ohio. Whats wrong with your assessment is you don't really give a hoot, you concocted this entire appearance issue to further your aim of making him look bad. Truth be known, you didn't like it that his appearance was well received so you did what you could to tear him down.
Contrary to your front page above the fold two inch headline, Mr. Kasich is very much anti union.
Kasich is going after unions because he wants to sell off state assets to the highest bidder and unions will get in his way. You know this is true. But your paper doesn't offer a truthful analysis of what is really going on. Your paper supports the Republican establishment no matter what they want to do to this state. State owned forests are in jeopardy. Prisons, schools, toll roads, our Gov wants to turn all this and more over to private management. Only our heavenly father knows what Ohio will look like when Kasich is finished with this theft of our state asssets. I'm sorry to tell you that I feel you shirk your duty to fully inform the public. Makes me wish newspaper editors had a code of ethics.
The 2/27/2011 item written by Jim Siegel and Darrel Rowland was good. Workers side was given some coverage. But they didn't dig deep enough. Tell the public what is really behind the union busting.
