Another Reason I Stopped Reading the Chicago Sun-Times (and you should too)

I had stopped buying the Chicago Sun-Times every day a few years ago. I had become so annoyed with the reasoning behind their endorsement picks, their misleading headlines, their injection of opinion into news stories, and statements so incorrect that an intelligent reader would believe their editorial board were high-ranking members of the Democratic Party. Their versions of selective truth and selective importance have made this once great newspaper (that I was glad to say my grandfather and my uncle worked for) is now a tabloid.

My beef with them today is regarding their endorsement for the US Senate seat race between Alexi Gianoulias and Mark Kirk. Kirk is getting my vote in this battle of two evils, but my problem with the Sun-Times is not that they picted Giannoulias. My problem is why.

With a triumvirate of Giannoulias, Sen. Dick Durbin — the Democratic Senate whip — and President Obama, every squeak and chirp in Illinois would be loudly heard in Washington.

I focus on this because it tells you what the editorial board of the Chicago Sun-Times believes is important. Power. They are most interested in the clout and patronage politics that leads to earmarks and pork which drive this state, and this country’s economies further into the abyss. The Sun-Times is saying “to hell with everyone else as long as I get mine.” This is a hedonistic and destructive way to do business.

The next thing that the Sun-Times liked was how he used (abused) his power as Illinois State Treasurer to strong-arm Wells Fargo bank into finding a buyer for bankrupt clothier Hartmarx when efforts by Hartmarx to find a buyer came up empty and the only option left was liquidation. Most to us would call it extortion, but I guess when the government does it, it’s not.

And speaking of the powers of the office of state treasurer, the Sun-Times mentions nothing about the ginormous budget deficit that Illinois has ($13 billion this year, possibly $15 billion next) and nothing is mentioned about Illinois having a bond rating lower than many third world countries. Is that what we want to bring to Washington?

In the Senate, Giannoulias would be a progressive Democrat,…

If that doesn’t scare you, then I have very little hope for you. What Giannoulias has done to Illinois is negligence at best, and criminal at worst. Instead of firing Giannoulias, the Chicago Sun-Times wants to promote him. I urge the few people who continue to read the Sun-Times to leave this rag and let it go out of circulation to be replaced by a real news organization and an editorial board that  believes in democracy and not Machiavelli.

…or does the paper believe the triumvirate of Durbin, Giannoulias, and Obama will provide another Hartmarx type of save?

http://www.suntimes.com/news/elections/endorsements/2782816,CST-EDT-edit08.article