Front Pages from All America 8/16
Every day, I comb through the front pages of all the daily papers in America (provided via?The Freedom Forum ) and will highlight 5-10 front page items that have national significance, with my quick commentary
The Charleston Gazette-Mail (West Virgina)
THE FRONT PAGE STORY: WVPB Chief Quits
WHY IT MATTERS: State-funded news media outlets are, by definition, straddled with an enormous conflict of interest. It's one of the reasons why they try to appear more independent than they can ever be.
THE TAKEAWAY: No one should trust an entity funded by the state to report fairly about its benefactor. Common sense has to be suppressed any time someone says otherwise.
The Seattle Times (Washington)
THE FRONT PAGE STORY: $200 Million Request would Lay Plans for Bullet Train to Canada
WHY IT MATTERS: The massive infrastructure law's funding is still mostly in the "give us your ideas for what to do with the money" stage. But we're talking a record amount of money.
THE TAKEAWAY: Washington state Democrats want the money to build a high-speed rail line linking Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver. But for this project to be done, the real questions we should be asking are: 1) Are we sure good numbers of people will use this link? 2) If private rail companies had the money to make this link on their own, would they? 3) If they would, why not find a way to get private companies to shoulder more the costs and risks?
The Roanoke Times (Virginia)
THE FRONT PAGE STORY: Mother of Boy who Shot Teacher Pleads Guilty
WHY IT MATTERS: The shooting in Virginia by the six-year-old with a history of behavioral issues made national headlines.
THE TAKEAWAY: Don't look now, but here's a gun case with bipartisan agreement on who is to blame! If only the irresponsible mother in Newtown, Connecticut who fashioned her mentally disabled son with an arsenal 11 years ago had lived to received punishment as well.
The Daily Tribune (Wisconsin)
THE FRONT PAGE STORY: Student Apprenticeship Program can be Win-Win Situation
WHY IT MATTERS: One-size-fits-all education in America is finally getting the scrutiny it deserves, and more importantly it's getting more school districts to come up with better ideas.
THE TAKEAWAY: I wish it didn't take a shortage of government/blue collar jobs to make something like this program happen. But better late than never.
The San Antonio Express-News (Texas)
THE FRONT PAGE STORY: City Terminates its Poet Laureate over 'Racial Slur'
WHY IT MATTERS: At some point, all race-obsessed/dependent government positions become an absurdity.
THE TAKEAWAY: It good to support the arts, the written word, and make sure voices from all corners of a community participate in that. But I'm not sure why this needed to be an official position other than for political posturing. I don't think any politicians cared or really knew the author's work. They deserved to be embarrassed by what happened next.