To the editor:
Don’t know about you, but I dislike it when a journalist or oped columnist, like John Krull in this instance, makes unsubstantiated statements in the Daily Journal I rely on for daily news and left-leaning opinions. His latest inaccuracy? The last dozen or so words of the following paragraph, quoted from his “This shouldn’t be about politicians” column in the Jan. 5 issue.
“And I saw U.S. Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tennessee, take a ‘principled’ stand against the tax bill because it would add nearly $1.5 trillion to the national debt — and then saw him do an about face when a last-minute change in the bill put more than $1 million in his own pocket.”
I was “with” John Krull through that entire paragraph (I don’t like our growing national debt either) until these final words: “… a last-minute change in the bill put more than $1 million in his own pocket.” Really? And just how did that come about, Mr. Krull? Your opinion would have been authoritative and informative had you explained just how that $1 million inducement occurred. Do you even know?
Oh, and the major thrust of the oped column, lamenting Rexnord plant closure consequences due to high labor costs? Your opinion didn’t even rate a nod toward the other side of the sorry story, to wit: stay competitive or go out of business. But then, I’m rarely surprised at such naïveté when penned by individuals (e.g. college professors) who apparently don’t experience or understand the pressures of making payroll week after week after week.
I guess this is my role as a Daily Journal subscriber and critic. To hold columnists accountable to tell the whole story, not just parts to make their point; and, to be fair and honest about both sides of the tale they tell.
George Allen
Indianapolis
