Candidate In VA Took Subsidies For Farm… BIG DEAL

TELL ME WASHINGTON POST WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH MY COMMUTE AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN FAIRFAX COUNTY.

In today's Northern Edition of the Washington Post, reporter, Bill Turque, wrote that Republican Candidate for Chairman in Fairfax County, Gary Baise, received farm subsidies. Turque, however, failed to report that other well known northern Virginia residents, including Sam Donaldson, also receives farm subsidies. Turque, could have better served the reading public if he had included that the 104th Republican Congress tried to cut farm subsidies as a means tested program but was blocked by Democrats in the House and Senate.

Funny Bill, you just overlook these facts or did you just screen out data that would have provided depth in the investigative article? It was noted that Baise has received a total of $300,000 which averages out to $30,000 a year. Gerry Connolly has received over $300,000 dollars (if not more than $400,000) from the development community. Just like the subsidies are legal, Connolly claims these donations are also legal. The similarities stop there. These campaign donations come from developers who stand to make huge profits when their land is upzoned for higher land use. Plus, decisions made by Connolly affect the quality of life of people living in Fairfax County.

The Washington Post is to be commended on its investigative reporting. However, Bill, unless you cross over and report on Connolly's campaign donations, then will you not be banded for Yellow Journalism?

Therefore, in fairness, I challenge you to write about how Connolly gets more than $1 out of every $3 dollars in his war chest from big Northern Virginia developers? Why not talk about the SAIC vote and Gerry Connolly’s job offer with SAIC? Why not spend time writing about how rubber stamping every high density land use application just adds to traffic congestion and intersection gridlock? Why not reveal that Connolly's claim that gang activity in schools is based on the results of a questionnaire completed by students in December 2005? Why not write about Chairman Connolly refusing to take calls from County residence about illegal aliens issue? Why not write about how developers make contributions to Connolly's campaign right before and after their land use applications are heard?

Turque, unfortunately, I suspect you won’t write about any issue that would shine an unfavorable light on Connolly's claim for all the things that "he has done." This is totally unfair to those readers who are willing to pay to read fair and unbiased reporting in the Washington Post. Post readers deserves better and expect fairness in reporting. What made this story news worthy? Bill what was it about the payments that was illegal, unethical, or improper? It’s not like Gary is getting money from Developers and then turning around and awarding contracts to them.