Media ignoring critical factors

Published 2:25 pm Friday, August 8, 2008

Associated Press writer Curt Woodward’s July 27 article, “What the candidates for governor won’t talk about,” is an example of why many people reject newspaper media. A third of a page devoted to comparing what Gov. Christine Gregoire and gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi won’t talk about missed the mark by not informing voters about real issues that created Gregoire’s $2.7 billion deficit and spent time claiming Rossi is slippery when it comes to abortion — an issue already decided by Washington voters.

Woodward quoted Western Washington University political scientist Todd Donovan, “You’re kind of damned if your do, damned if you don’t, for both of them, if you really take the issues head-on.” Excuse me, I fail to see why Woodward, Donovan, and some news organizations want to make abortion an issue when families, especially the most vulnerable, are being negatively impacted on so many fronts — traffic congestion, high gas prices, early release of dangerous felons and a crisis-level budget deficit, to name a few.

The media should be probing these issues for detailed explanations. These are the critical factors in the governor’s race. Looking at Gregoire’s record, problems have increased during her tenure with a noticeable lack of leadership in finding solutions. Voters should be told about the out-of-control spending, how each candidate will solve the looming, ever-increasing deficit, the felons issue, sex offenders, unresolved problems in the Department of Social and Health Services, the ferry system failures and worsening traffic congestion, not to mention the Highway 520 bridge and the viaduct.

I want a leader in Olympia who cares first about helping the people of Washington, a person with experience outside a career in government and someone with solutions who will take responsibility. I want Dino Rossi as our next governor.

Billye Brooks-Sebastian