Newsleader Does it Again.

In todays Staunton Newsleader, the cartoonist McCloskey goes off the deep end..... again.

His cartoon has a woman writing a letter to Congressman Goodlatte. She tells him that "When you voluntarily give up your free government provided health care, you can advise me on how to manage mine.But until then, shut your pie-hole."

Well Mr.McCloskey, In regard to the first part of the sentence, "When you voluntarily give up your free government provided health care",I am sure you get some form of health care through your paper. Is it free? Or is it, like most people in this country, part of your compensation for employment? All the employees in this country who get health coverage in this country work for their health care. Why would you say that it is "free" for Congress? Is it not part of his compensation package for employment? Do cops, nurses, teachers, etc, who work for a county, city, state or federal government get "free" health care from the government? Or do they work for it?

As to the second part of the sentence,"you can advise me on how to manage mine", the letter writer is asking the government to manage here health care already. She is looking for "government takeover of health care." She wants the taxpayers of this country to pay for her health care. If she managed her own, as she states in the letter, there would be no question of which way she would want Congressman Goodlatte to vote.

Last year, Congressman Goodlatte received 62% of the vote in the 6th Congressional District. In 2009, Governor-Elect McDonnell received about 75% of the vote in the 6th District. Both elected officials were against a government run health care system. So who do you think the voters of the valley would agree with? The Congressman, or your fictional cartoon lady?

I have said this before, Remember the slogan,"The customer is always right." Well the Newsleader should figure out if they want to be a little niche player in a dying market, or an expanding player in the local market. Find the stories that local people want to read. Get an editorial board that is atleast balanced, not one falling off the left end. Appeal to the people who might buy your paper. Go out and get readership. Don't chase them away by telling them that they are wrong, wrong, wrong.

Maybe if the Newsleader would realize that they publish their newspaper in the reddest part of Virginia, they might not be forced to lay people off, or send their printing work to another county.