Newspapers defensive over past hypocrisy
A letter in today’s newspaper busted on the New Era for not “…railing against the government bailout of the convention center” like they did the other federal bail out.
In an editor’s ‘reply’ (only a defensive editor would not let a letter writer’s point be made without such) they said the following:
“(Editor’s reply: The convention center is a new business, not an old one that is failing. It was intentionally funded with public dollars to stimulate business and jobs in the city.)”
It’s important to note that BEFORE the Lancaster New Era was the business partners for our convention center, the then Editor wrote the following against Scranton’s convention center/hotel.
My favorite quote from that GREAT editorial is this: “But $10 million is not a grant. It is a windfall. It is a lottery jackpot. It is an unconscionable amount of money for one facility in one city.” If $10 million is unconscionable than what is $165 million?!
The editorial also makes the point that Lancaster County Hoteliers (Heroes of the FREE MARKET!) made in their lawsuit:
“How can they (Scranton Hoteliers) compete, they ask, with a hotel that is being infused with $10 million of public funds? How can they pay the going rate for renovations in their own hotels, and pass those costs to customers, when the operators of Casey’s project don’t have to worry about recouping their renovation costs?”
It’s too bad that Lancaster Newspapers sold their soul and lost their moral bully pulpit when they decided to stop being a newspaper and instead decided to suck from the government teat!
Thanks goodness NewsLanc is taking the time to extensively research and report all the shenanigans that went on behind closed doors, which Lancaster Newpapers has chosen to ignore / report for the public’s awareness. I have to wonder how far off the ground this whole scheme would have risen had it been placed on a ballot…………the public really had NO opportunity for input, other than to write a check for our tax dollars.
Editor’s note: The Fox 43 poll indicated close to 80% public opposition to government guarantees of the convention center debt.