The Seattle Times has run a feature in the last few years called the “Truth Needle.” The Times loves it because it makes them the sole and official arbiter of what is true and false in politics. But what readers of The Times really need is a scale showing them just how far right the editorials lean. As a public service by the editors of The Slanted Times, we present the Mis-Truth Needle:
Legislature, governor must find $5 billion in spending cuts without raising taxes
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/editorialsopinion/2008420958_edit23fivebillion.html
Flashback to November 23, 2008. The economy is in a free fall. Thousands of people are losing their jobs and wondering how they will afford health care, college tuition, job retraining, and even their next meal. How did The Seattle Times recommend addressing this historic economic downturn? Cuts. All cuts, in fact, to the tune of more than $5 billion.
As thousands of people were looking for temporary assistance to get back on their feet, The Times recommended massive, draconian cuts that would have made this painful recession even worse. It takes a rigid, uncompromising conservative outlook to recommend cuts to health care, education, and food assistance at the precise moment of the greatest need. For that, we rate this editorial “conservative.”
Spending: Difficult program cuts necessary, beginning with social services
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/editorials/2016370561_edit02cutsider.html
End Disability Lifeline? Easy to say from the comfort of The Seattle Times editorial board offices. Disability Lifeline provides short-term support for more than 15,000 individuals who cannot work due to a medical condition such as a physical disability or mental illness. As the Washington State Budget & Policy center recently pointed out, even if services for people with disabilities went away, their health needs would not. But hey, that’s not our problem, right Seattle Times editors? We rate this cold-hearted proposal “right-of-center” conservative.
Yes, to four-year tuition increases
Editorial April 9, 2009
“DIRE budgets call for a dramatic response. Tuition at Washington’s four-year colleges and universities should rise significantly to preserve student access, quality and years of progress toward preparing a sophisticated work force.”
“Gov. Chris Gregoire and leaders of four-year institutions have asked for an eye-popping 14-percent increase each of the next two years. Not to mince words or math: Compounded one year over the other, that’s a 30-percent increase. Students attending the University of Washington, Washington State University and Western Washington University would experience tuition hikes of about $1,300 to nearly $2,000 over two years.”
The Seattle Times may not want you to see it now, but they’ve supported dramatic tuition increases for college students. Even The Times calls the increases “eye-popping” and a “whopper.” But for The Times, a choice between making young students or the super-wealthy fund education isn’t really a choice at all. The most financially prudent decision is for students to take out loans and incur tens of thousands in debt. Whatever it takes to spare the 1% an extra 1% in taxes. We rate this absurd logic “far-right” conservative.
