Letter: Kontos Column ‘misleading,’ ‘MAGA propaganda’
To the Editor-
Kontos’s recent opinion column labeled “Make plans, vote early, bring friends” is clearly misleading and contains several inaccuracies. Misleading because it is not about voting but is a Tump/Vance /MAGA propaganda piece masquerading as a plea to vote.
Metro Wire’s Opinion Piece guidelines under the “Columns” section contain the following:
“… depending on the topic (a column) may qualify as a “Top Story” on our website due to their timeliness or relevance of the topic to current issues.”
Including this column among news stories raises its status to news in my opinion. Also the Letters To The Editor section contains: “…letters containing inaccurate or incomplete information will be tagged with an italicized disclaimer or they may not be published at all.” It seems to me the same should apply to opinion columns.
Kontos column contains the following inaccuracies:
1. “Exploding”inflation. “ According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics
(BLS), year over year inflation as of August 31, 2024, was +2.5%. And on a monthly basis in 2024 inflation was -0.1 for May, +0.2 for June,+ 0.2 for July, and +0.1 for August. Clearly not exploding.
2. “Declining” real wages. According to the BLS, year over year as of August 31, 2024, real average hourly earnings increased 1.3%. The nominal increase (not adjusted for inflation) was 4.0% for the same period. Wages are increasing not declining.
3. “Open” Borders. According to US Customs and Borders Protections, southwest border encounters in July 2024 were 56,408 compared to 75, 316 in January 2021. We have a legal and moral obligation to accept refugees seeking asylum. In June, reacting to the enormous amount of refugees, Biden issued an executive order closing the border when asylum seekers daily average is 2,500 and not reopening until the number is 1,500. Earlier this year Trump blackmailed Republicans in Congress to renege on an agreed bipartisan bill to strengthen border controls. We do not have open borders and saying so doesn’t make so!
4.” Rampant” Crime. The Counsel on Criminal Justice (CCJ) reports crime in 12 major categories is down in all categories (except for shoplifting) for the first six months of 2024 compared to the first six months in 2023. The CCL is an independent, nonpartisan organization supported by many other organizations such as The Pew Foundation, Koch Foundation, Ford Foundation, etc. Crime is declining not rampant.
5. Political “lawfare.” Must refer the Trump lawsuits. Trump has been tried by a jury and found guilty not by a political party. The rule of law is the backbone of our constitutional system and applies to all.
6. “Racist” DEI policies. This is similar to saying nazis are pro-Judaism. The entire idea behind DEI is anti-racism and supports justice, fairness, equality, etc. How is it possible for DEI policies to be racist?
7. Men in women’s bathrooms and genital mutilation of our children! A clear dog whistle to shake up the anti-gay community.
I believe Metro Wire subscribers have a right to expect better editorial oversight to prevent this type of nonfactual column from appearing in the news section of the website. Indeed, is there any editorial challenge to columns regardless of the placement on the website?
Finally, I point out that Kontos’s attacks in the last part of his column on election procedures and election fraud are, again, straight out of MAGA propaganda and misleading.
David Rosin
Plover