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| Friday, April 19, 2024 |
Miles from the Mainstream |
D.
R. ZUKERMAN, proprietor |
JANUARY 5, 2004 -- Open Letter to Sam Roberts, New York Times, replying to his article in "Week in Review" January 4.
Dear Mr. Roberts, Your article is highlighted on the front page of "Week in Review" with this question: " 'The public trust' has become a mantra, but what does it mean?" Before turning to your piece, this answer occurred to me -- officials faithful to their oath of office; corporate executives not seeking to gain whatever the effect on employees and shareholders; media people who don't dismiss those of us outside your offices as whiners. You did mention a poll claiming that 18 percent of us think the media cannot be trusted, with 24 percent trusting in business and 45 percent in government. Maybe this poll suggests you might have focused entirely on the perhaps frayed relationship between media and people? I learned how far you guys are from us when The New York Times and every main media outlet I contacted ignored how the City of New York, with an assist from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, worked a property tax matter to get new owners at three Rockaway, New York apartment buildings (in which my family, including me) had an interest.
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The City put a bizarre 60 million dollar tax lien on these buildings to force the bankruptcy and get the new owners that perhaps lots of city insiders new about--but not the public at large. You comment that after 9/11 confidence in government "rebounded to a patriotic 55 percent," then falling "back to 36 percent last summer." Are you suggesting that those of us concerned about the performance of government officials are not patriotic? Why don't you come out and tell us what you media people think? Do you support government by the consent of the governed. The Founding Fathers gave us limited government, and checks and balances as a method to keep government from turning from representative to ruler. Would you claim that our Founders were anti-government? Do you believe leaders should work for the common good? Should they stay close to the people? Is the candidate who needs a focus group to advise him on the public mood truly close to the people? Perhaps one day you might give us your views of the counsel for leaders found in the first half of Federalist 57, counsel for leaders within the constitutional system bequeathed to us by the Founders. Sincerely, David R. Zukerman for Lonely Pamphleteer Review
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