Reader says editorial was mean-spirited

Dear Editor:

A recent Wednesday Star-News editorial was a mean-spirited bashing of Alabamians who voted to defeat the largest tax increase in Alabama's history by a margin of 68 percent to 32 percent. In spite of Alabama's "news" media publishing thousands of free political ads, disguised as news articles, in favor of the tax increase and our State Representative, Seth Hammett, voting for and campaigning for this $1.2 billion tax hike against the wishes of the people of Covington County (who voted 2 to 1 against it), the people of Alabama once again took control of their government.

I have never been so proud of Alabama voters since 1861, when they voted against Lincoln's oppressive 40 percent import tax on Southerners by withdrawing from the voluntary union. Likewise, on September 9, government of the people, by the people and for the people won and government of the media, by the media and for the media lost.

In this typical Star-News cover-up, the editorial condemned Texas Congressman Dick Armey for employing a chauffeur but hypocritically refused to condemn Alabama public officials Seth Hammett, Demetrius Newton, Bob Riley, Lucy Baxley, Lowell Barron, and Bill Pryor for employing six to ten Alabama State Troopers at a taxpayer-paid salary of $50,000 per year each, just to drive these six elitist politicians around Alabama in taxpayer-paid luxury automobiles.

The media and their puppet politicians are punishing voters for rejecting their oppressive tax increase by requiring the public to do without State Troopers on our highways, but not requiring these politicians to do without their own personal Trooper to chauffeur them. In their opinion Seth Hammett is worth more than 100,000 of us.

By reducing State Trooper protection for the public (the stick), they hope to force the voters to support their next tax increase efforts come January and for this support the politicians will increase Trooper protection to Alabama's highways (the carrot). I hope Alabamians do not fall for this carrot and stick scam.

Moreover, reducing State Trooper protection on our highways is foolish economics, because Troopers write money-producing traffic tickets that increase State revenue.

Only when the above six selfish politicians give up their personal State Troopers and return these Troopers to the public highways protecting us and collecting money for Alabama, will we know that they are even the least bit interested in being good stewards of our tax money.

The people of Alabama know that they cannot trust the politicians in Montgomery; hopefully they also know that they cannot trust the "news" media either.

Roger Broxton

Andalusia