Reporting some facts and quoting each side isn't journalism

Friday’s edition included a story titled “GOP blocks Obama’s pick for watchdog” about the filibuster which prevents an up or down vote on the man nominated to head the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). While the story was as accurate as one could ask for it failed to tell the whole story in that once again Republicans including both of our Senators, Cornyn and Hutchison, voted to protect the 1% at the expense of the 99%.

Having mentioned in the story that the Republicans want to eliminate the position of director and replace it with a bi-partisan board you failed to examine the ramifications of such a move which would result in politicizing decisions and removing the teeth from the agency’s rule making and enforcement efforts.

Express News readers deserve more than he said, she said reporting. Real journalism would explain that it is the Republican agenda to overturn every bit of regulation that has been put in place to prevent another implosion of the banking system because it would impair the ability of a few Wall Street fat cats to continue to rake in multi-million dollar annual bonuses.

Where is Elliott Ness?

The Senate Republican caucus is running an extortion racket by holding up confirmation of presidential appointees. Senator Shelby aided and abetted by Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Cornyn is attempting to coerce the administration into giving the Pentagon's aerial refueling tanker contract to a foreign company, EADS, that along with its domestic partner has given him over $100,000 in campaign contributions.

That a United States senator would be willing to shut down the process of confirming administration appointees simply to help a foreign firm win a military contract is beyond just politics as usual. That the entire Republican caucus is complicit is disgusting. Senators Hutchison and Cornyn both talk about American values but when it’s time to do their jobs they are willing to roll-over in support of a colleague’s foreign campaign contributors.

The FBI should raid the offices of Senator Shelby and the entire Senate Republican caucus and launch a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) investigation. How I long for Elliott Ness and the Untouchables!

Cornyn and Hutchison hypocritical as usual

While Senators, John Cornyn and Kay Bailey Hutchison, complain about the Obama administration and Democratic controlled Congress spending on the stimulus, the budget and potentially on health care reform their votes in favor of building seven more F-22 fighters for $1.75 billion are hypocritical in the extreme. Republicans including Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Senators John McCain and John Kyl among others agreed that the F-22 was unnecessary and an inappropriate expenditure. Fortunately the vote to kill the F-22 was truly bi-partisan with 42 Democrats, 15 Republicans and 1 independent; unlike some other legislation lately which had only token Republican support.

Our senators claim to make their votes based on what’s good for Texas and the country but how is building a cold war era fighter that can’t be flown near an aircraft carrier and hasn’t been used in combat over Baghdad because its super-sensitive electronics can’t deal with the mass of radio signals good for the country?

I’ve heard some Republicans say they voted for the F-22 to save jobs; but their party generally claims, quite loudly, that government spending doesn’t create jobs, so which is it? There are plenty of worthwhile projects that $1,750,000,000 could fund including bridge repairs, building schools, green energy and energy efficiency projects that would pay dividends for all of us for years to come.