A single column

l refer to your lead piece in Monday's Opinion page, "Sex and the GOP", by Aledandra Petri of the Washington Post. Is this jackass article your considered contribution to the great challenges that are facing the USA today? Where is your opinion on the sustained attacks by both Democrats and Republicans on the jobs and incomes of ordinary people? Apparently it doesn't bother you that hospitality and agricultural workers have to survive on derisory rates of pay in our expensive area. What have you to say about Obama's statement a few weeks ago that extra-judicial killings of American citizens are justified in the name of the anti-terrorism "war?"   When Nixon ordered illegal wiretaps against his opponents, there was outrage in the press. Today, a president can order killings at will and it doesn't raise a murmur! Aren't you concerned at all that the Constitution is slowly being shredded in the interests of international corporations?

 Perhaps, as a British native, I was naive in thinking that Americans were proud of their Constitution, which was for years the envy of the world. Now I see they are more interested in personalities and who goes to bed with whom. Wake up, people. You haven't got much time left.

Brian Ashurst

Brian: Just as you can't determine a newspaper's editorial position on any one issue by reading one edition of the newspaper, you can't expect any one column to tackle more than one issue. The one you mention is a lighthearted look at the GOP's moral positioning in this election, and publishing it does not for a moment diminish our concern about jobs, inadequate pay or extra-judicial killings.

Royal Calkins

Choosing content

When the Herald opted to discontinue printing stock prices, then editor Joe Livernois justified his decision by stating that the paper's revenues were continuing to decline and that the prices were always available via the Internet.

Is it time to revisit this policy? Aren't there other items that are printed that are much less newsworthy?   For example, in March 6th's edition, several columns were devoted to point spreads for college basketball games, for NBA games, and for NHL matches. Plus this critical nugget: "1994- Jay Sigel stages the biggest comeback in PGA and Senior Tour history, rallying from 10 strokes behind to win the GTE Seniors Classic in a four-hole playoff with Jim Colbert."

Really, that Oral Roberts is favored by 9 points over Southern Utah is of interest to more people than the closing price for 3M or Bank of America?

David Swanson
Salinas

David, we'd love to print everything available every day, but there are limits, so we have to pick and choose. I'm sure everyone who wants a specific thing in could find an example of something else that could be jettisoned to make room. I, for one, would like to have detailed results of water polo competitions included most days. Our feeling when we stopped running the stock listings was that we were using a lot of space, and a lot of paper, to publish something that was easily available to most of our readers elsewhere. When we err, which we will, it usually will be on the side of providing unique content.

Thanks,
Royal Calkins

Duplicitous?

Well Sir, I applaud your efforts to bring the paper back in line to where it should be. Addressing local issues and creating a hometown atmosphere in our paper is a much better model than rarely hitting the streets and assuming that the wire service will provide everything, everyone on the Peninsula wants to know. We have plenty of places to find that information if we want it, and on that occasion, I find the Herald deplorably duplicitous. I look forward to the progress you will make for the benefit of all those that look forward to finding the information we don’t afford the time to collect on our own. 

Sincerely,

David

David: I'm hoping you meant duplicative and not duplicitous, but we prefer to be neither. Finding the right mix of local and wire news is a daily challenge, and we're hoping to eventually get it just right. Thanks

You found it

Dearest readers: This is the place to make suggestions for Herald news coverage, to ask questions, yell at us, send us love notes, whatever. I, editor Royal Calkins, will respond to most of the civil comments and you, of course, should feel invited to respond to the response.

Got something to say? This is your chance.

Cheers

Royal Cakins