Infinite Bias
Your cover story on the Burlington mayoral race [“Two Against One,” January 31] shows you’ve already ruled out Infinite Culcleasure’s campaign. That’s wrong.
It’s even worse that you’re not transparent about your opinion and use artwork and a headline that leads readers to believe you’re covering all three fairly. It’s simply untrue that Culcleasure’s campaign is “light on policy and heavy on idealism” when his website outlines more detailed policy ideas than either of the two other candidates.
You’re unfair to give Carina Driscoll’s campaign three times the amount of text as Culcleasure’s, to state that she is the “credible challenger,” to offer the only portrayal of his supporters as “scruffy” and to end the article talking about Driscoll offering the “alternate vision.”
Culcleasure has strong experience as a community organizer and advocate for vulnerable populations who have little to no voice in our government. When you don’t give equal coverage of his campaign (Culcleasure’s name comes up 10 times; Driscoll’s, 24; and Miro Weinberger’s 47), you further undermine those voices. Please do a better job covering these three candidates going forward. This article makes me question what other reporting I should trust in Seven Days. You owe Burlington voters equal, meaningful coverage of all three so we can make a good choice for Burlington.
Daniel Shearer
Burlington
Bernie’s ‘Gossip’ Defense
[Re Off Message: “The Sound of Silence: Bernie Sanders Spurns Seven Days for 1,000 Days,” January 24; “Sanders Backs Out of Interview After Failing to Dictate Conditions,” January 29]: Good luck getting an interview with Senator Authentic. He is afraid of real questions from Seven Days and VTDigger.org.
Bernie Sanders will not answer any questions about his family’s accumulation of millions from his presidential campaign. The champion of open government is clearly embarrassed by his capitalist windfall from believing supporters.
He runs away from Vermont reporters and mutters “gossip” if they try to ask him anything. Hardly a profile in courage.
Ask Bernie to reveal his tax returns? Gossip. Ask Bernie how many millions he and Jane made from her limited liability company? Gossip. Ask Bernie how much family members made from the Sanders Institute? Gossip.
Bernie believers will be inclined to attack this letter writer, but first research Jane Sanders and Old Towne Media.
Maurice Mahoney
South Burlington
Healthy and Wise
I am glad at least a few students are interested in health [“Champlain College Students Produce Healthy Lifestyle Magazine,” January 17]. I hope they stop eating junk as most citizens continue. The most dangerous addictive drug in the world is sugar!
My work in 20 countries taught me better options than our government rules and pharmaceutical profits.
Marvin Zinn
St. Joseph, MI
Making History
I wanted to thank reporter Rachel Elizabeth Jones and the entire Seven Days team that took the time to do a cover story on some of Vermont’s smallest historical societies [“Time Keepers,” January 10]. Seven Days is a cutting-edge news source with an active marijuana desk and a finger on the pulse of what is happening now, but it also takes the time and energy to cover efforts of local Vermonters to preserve their history. It is a wonderful thing.
I also wanted to thank you for noticing the Milton Historical Society’s 2017 commemoration of 20th-century history with our “Racing in Milton” series. Reaching out to today’s potential museum visitors will require groups like us to remember, as pointed out in your story, that the 20th century is indeed also history, and we need to celebrate and study it as we do Ethan Allen, antique quilts and our farming heritage.
Thanks also to Richelle Franzoni and the rest of the staff at the Vermont Humanities Council who provided us with grant funding and guidance as we prepared our look at Milton’s racing history. Small groups like ours, and the others mentioned in your article, depend on the support of such state entities. If you love history, please do all you can to support them.
Robert S. Devino
Milton
Tone Down the Headlines
I find the headlines of two recent Off Message blog posts off-putting, downright misleading and even mean.
“$20 Million Mistake: Scott Made False Claim in Budget Speech” [January 30] makes it sound like Gov. Phil Scott deliberately misrepresented the number. When one reads the article, it identifies the source of the mistake. Your bold headline suggests he intentionally lied.
Right next to that is: “Sanders Backs Out of Interview After Failing to Dictate Conditions” [January 29].
You deliberately set Sen. Bernie Sanders up on that one. He’s got a lot more to talk about than his family. Give them some space. How would you like someone yelling at you about your family? Then you get all self-righteous and publicly offended because he stuck to what he said. “We don’t accept conditions,” you write. How noble. Further, how would you like to be Sanders in Washington, D.C., now?
I read both of these headlines to my husband, twice, to make sure I wasn’t misreading something.
“Maybe Seven Days is turning into a rag” was his quiet comment.
Hey, guys, life is tough. Things are awful in our country today with so many attacks on public institutions and people. Maybe I’m speaking as the retired teacher I am, but try to set a higher standard.
A guide we had at my school was: Is it helping? Is it kind? Is it necessary?
Diane Kemble
Springfield
Road Rules
I am curious how one’s personal health care insurance plays into [“A Car Crash Paralyzed a Teen. Her Likely Insurance Payout? Just $25,000,” January 31]. For example, if I have health care through work, and I get in an accident and either my passengers or me have serious medical bills, what, if anything, is charged to Blue Cross Blue Shield versus auto insurance, assuming no negligence or DUI, etc.?
If negligence is found or other unusual circumstances such as the crash were caused by a medical event, or there were uninsured parties in other cars, how does that affect the policyholder?
Bryan Holland
Essex
Related Stories
This article appears in The Love & Marriage Issue 2018.
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Diane Kemble,
I whole heartedly agree that “Is it helping? Is it kind? Is it necessary?” is a great question to ask ourselves in daily interactions, I think you are: 1) not reading carefully and 2) missing the roles of government and the free press.
1) The Headlines:
The headlines are factually correct: “$20 Million Mistake: Scott Made False Claim in Budget Speech” The word “mistake is the third word in. For a teacher, you should be encouraging active reading: someone can make a mistake and a false claim at the same time – in fact, people regularly do. The headline clearly states both.
2) Bernie’s Failure to Interview:
Your comment about how you would not want to be in Bernie’s position in Washington or how he might not want to talk about how members of his family have financially benefited from his political dealings completely fails to take into account that he is an elected official and you (presumably) are not. Bernie ran and was elected to represent the people of Vermont, which is a privilege that he must respect and be held accountable to. When he chose to run (many years ago) he did so with the full understanding that he was giving up some privacy rights (not all) for the privilege of becoming an elected official and serving his state.
The press has an obligation to pursue the truth, not the convenient truth, but the full truth and make it publicly available. This sometimes means pushing back when it becomes uncomfortable.
The notion that Seven Days is a “rag” for asking difficult questions of elected officials and not letting them side step the answers is ludicrous.
Thank you, Seven Days, for pursuing the truth in this matter and not letting the Junior Senator from Vermont get away with such adherent tactics.
Whatever the future should be concerning the campaign of Infinite, I’m just glad to have such a complex and interesting name which to me is the perfect answer to having to hear so much about the Donald. I suspect we’re not done with him by a long shot no matter what happens with this particular campaign. I think he’s got the kind of staying power that made Bernie a senator. That’s my guess.