Chronicle Editor Does Not Understand the Purpose of Elections

Willimantic Chronicle Editor Charlie Ryan has this strict policy that his newspaper does not endorse candidates. But then again he finds ways to kinda endorse them anyways.

For example, here we are the Friday after the election and interestingly enough Ryan wrote an editorial entitled “It was time for change in Coventry” -- endorsing the Coventry Democrats.

Most papers endorse candidates before the election.

I really don’t understand the intended purpose of this editorial. While Ryan does reluctantly concede the Republican Town Council held the line on taxes, he faults them for not spending enough. Ryan rattles off a list of things that went unfunded such as some sidewalks and of course money for the bottomless pit of education.

Now I have never met Ryan but I will wager he is no fool. I am guessing he is intelligent enough to realize that spending has a lot to do with how much taxes are. And yet reading this editorial you would think that government could spend as much as it wished, give everyone everything they asked for, -- and then somehow have no tax increase.

The editorial’s premise is that spending and stable taxes are not mutually exclusive.

But never mind that. What really bugs me is the other premise of this editorial which is that the Republicans should have done exactly what the Democrats would have done under the same situation.

Now why should they have done that?

I am reminded what former RNC Chairman Haley Barbour was of fond saying "the Republican Party is the conservative party and the Democrat Party is the liberal party".
Consider when the Coventry voter walked into the polls Tuesday he had a real choice. He could choose to re-elect the party that was thrifty or he could chose to vote for the party that was liberal with taxpayer money.

The voter picked the liberal party on Tuesday and now he will get those sidewalks, more money for education as well of lots and lots of other goodies which Ryan thinks is so important.

And voters will also get a tax increase. You can bet the ranch on that. That’s the trade-off and that’s the way it should be.

I am continually annoyed with media-liberals like Ryan who think that my party, the Republican, conservative party should be a replica, a mirror-image of the liberal Democrat party.

Why do we need two Democrat parties?

Isn't one liberal Democrat party enough?

Without real choices there is no point in having elections at all.