Thomas Minihan
Jefferson City
Dear Editor:
How many people read the News Tribune to get their daily news are satisfied only getting one side on virtually everything? Currently, many National political pundits are contending democracy is intrinsically tied to having two separate political parties, debating issues and arriving at solutions. I'm not a fan of pundits, however, I believe the same ought to apply at the state and local level, but our local media (print, audio and video) only endorses one side.
Take for instance the comments made by U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer published in a story on Nov. 14.
He claimed, "If they'd have paid for it, I'd have supported the bill." Additionally, he asserted: "There's even some Medicare stuff in it. There's a lot of stuff in there that doesn't need to be in there. And it's not paid for. Depending on who you talk to, there's $250-$400 billion that's not paid for. That's going to be additional debt."
This leaves your readers with only one side of the story, and it's the perspective of a millionaire. The bill would not have passed the Senate if it wasn't paid for, just ask Sen. Joe Manchin or any news source that does more than print whatever they're told without investigation. "Depending on who you talk to," well I assume you were talking to someone who's supposed to be representing Missouri voters, not Kevin McCarthy. Why was that quoted without informing the congressman you were asking him directly since he voted against the bill?
According to Forbes, the "Build Back Better" proposal, as released last week, "should help raise about $1.5 trillion over the next 10 years." (tinyurl.com/3m7y7e7r) That sounds like it's paid for. What is the congressman doing with his time in Washington? Obviously, he's not spending time reading the bills before or after he votes, he simply follows the orders of his boss, Kevin McCarthy.
Why was he not pushed for clarification on "a lot of stuff?" I believe 19 senators from his political party saw the same "stuff" and voted in favor of the bill. I should have been happy when he clarified "Medicare stuff," but when I researched the bill (tinyurl.com/746s9fvu), I discovered the word Medicare was only mentioned three times, and it was in relation to requiring manufacturers of certain single-dose drugs to provide refunds of discarded amounts.
Please try to be independent journalists.