Hurricane Hooey

You can learn a lot about the Tribune's editorial board by examining who and what they are willing to publish for Guest Opinions. I don't mean local commentators; I think the Tribune should publish almost all of those under the theory that they are really just long letters to the editor.

What I am talking about is more along the lines of this Trudy Rubin column arguing that our response to Hurricane Katrina has tarnished our image abroad. What a load of hooey.

First, her opinion seems to be based primarily on anecdotal evidence she gleaned from a journalism conference in Paris, France. Now there's a cohort representative of world opinion: French journalists. "Oh my gosh, W, the French journalists are looking down their noses at us..increase spending!" (Remember when Pauline Kael was flabbergasted that Nixon won because she "didn't know anyone who voted for him?")

Second, we're in the midst of digging out from one of the largest natural disasters to hit our country, and Ms. Rubin and her friends are over in Paris snooting it up about our "tarnished" image? Maybe they ought to shut up and help. Do we really care what they think?

Finally, do you know what Ms. Rubin's solution to this problem is? She proposes that we "rescind the tax cuts for the rich." I'm not going to argue about whether the tax cuts are good fiscal policy or not, but I will argue that only a journalist would suggest that the most dynamic economy in the world should take a radical step that will have a huge impact on that economy in order to shore up our "image." This whole column is nothing but a transparent push to the left.

She finishes: "But George Bush needs to jolt the world, and Americans, into believing our country is still what it used to be. Rescinding those tax cuts would be a convincing start." Can you believe this garbage? Maybe someone will remind Ms. Rubin that what this country "used to be" was a country that didn't even have a federal income tax! ("Hey, W, France is mad at us again." "Oh, dang it, Karl. What now?" "I know, let's raise taxes!")

Ms. Rubin seems knowledgeable on Middle East issues, but on domestic issues she's either ignorant or so ideologically motivated as to be silly.

If the Tribune editorial staff wants to read this east coast, left wing tripe, fine. But why do they need to import this garbage into Montana? She makes me long for Ellen Goodman.