I’ve received the exact same e-mail twice — or dozens of times, actually. But this is the first time I’ve ever received two identical tasteful notecards.
At least, that’s what they appeared to be at first. One is actually an addendum to the other. Come to think of it, this still marks a first for me.
Anyway, the first note takes me to task for having what I am paid to have — opinions. Seriously, I did bend over backwards to be fair to the candidates at the debate (believe me, I took more grief than this from one of my colleagues for failing to be tough enough on someone with whom we disagree on the issue in question). Maybe, after 12 years in editorial, I’m just out of practice.
Anyway, the note says:
While the interviews with Candidates for Supt. of Education were informative, your objectivity as a moderator was lacking…
… and so forth and so on. The second note gets on me because:
… you gave Staton, 8 year EOC Member, a Pass, you addressed in your questions to him and others 0 about the fact more than half state, Local, Fed taxes allocated to K-12 never get to the classroom!
Well, I hope I can be forgiven for not addressing that "fact." My only excuse is that it isn’t a fact. It’s caught on wonderfully among the anti-school crowd, though, ever since the S.C. Policy Council put it out under the pretense of being a fact. As I recall (and I’m having trouble finding the background on that; please let me know if you can locate it), this number was arrived at by leaving out the cost of buses, cafeterias, the building the classroom was in, the light bill, etc. As if all those things were fripperies or something.
Anyway, this writer (who shall remain nameless, in deference to the notes being marked "personal") could have saved a lot of trouble by just checking out the blog and giving me what-for without limits, and without having to waste another nice notecard.
But I sort of like people who insist upon tradition. It’s reassuring.
Oh, and I need some feedback here: Is it tacky for me to show pictures of the notes, and cite partial content, when they were marked "personal?" I assumed that meant "not a letter to the editor." Does a blog count as indiscretion, or is that redundant?
Related Posts
Idiots automatically forfeit the right not to have their idiotic opinions aired and ridiculed. I think they also forfeit the right to anonymity, but I salute you for honoring that part of “personal” anyway. You’re a better man than me.