The Joplin Daily is doing so many things right, as far as offering alternatives to the staid, predictable Joplin Globe, that the continued insistence on running self-serving political columns on its opinion page mystifies.
Two weeks ago, three of our area Republican representatives, Ron Richard, Marilyn Ruestman, and Bryan Stevenson jointly co-authored a column, which as this blog noted, had incredible similarities to columns credited to Speaker of the House Rod Jetton and Rep. Danielle Moore, R-Fulton.
The latest column on the Daily website is posted as a "Joint Report" co-authored by Richard, Ms. Ruestman, Stevenson, and Rep. Steve Hunter, R-Joplin.
It reads as follows:
Joint Report
By Missouri State Representatives
Steve Hunter, District 127
Bryan Stevenson, District 128
Ron Richard, District 129
Marilyn Ruestman, District 131
In 1967, Missouri Southern State University, at the time known as Missouri Southern State College, gave to Joplin residents their first opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments of the local school. The graduating class, consisting of 198 students, rolled out the beginning of a large list of accomplishments for the school and its students. Now, in 2006, Missouri Southern is again starting out on an endeavor to bring not only pride, but also educational opportunities to its students. In January, 10 Missouri Southern students moved to Jefferson City to serve as legislative interns for various senators and representatives in the state capitol.
In a world filled with so many crooked politicians and scandals lining the front page of every newspaper, it becomes easy to become disheartened with politics. However, as the students are learning first hand at the capitol, the good guys do still win elections. Jonathon Russell, a sophomore, remembers the first thing Senator Jack Goodman asked him.
"Is your service up here for personal glory, or the good of the people?" Goodman asked. "If it isn't the good of the people, then you're in the wrong place."
***
I have no problem with our legislators lauding Missouri Southern State University, but the rest of this self-serving nonsense only belongs in a newspaper or on a news website if it's a paid political advertisement.
3 comments:
Did you expect anything else from the members of "God's Own Party"?
Who said Jack Goodman was a good guy?
i have visited the joplin daily column several times. I find it
mostly boring. sooner or later they will have to branch out into areas other than the city of joplin if they are to be competitive. i probably would have never went the site if you had not had a link on your site randy
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