WAKE UP CALL

Welcome to Wake Up Call. As a regular reader of blogs I realize I am entering an already crowded field but I hope I can bring a unique look at state and local issues while also providing a few stories you won't see anywhere else. I have a lot of ideas on what I want to do with this blog and I'm sure I will be making some changes over the next couple of months as I learn on the fly. Of course, any suggestions are welcomed and I hope you will come back while I work out the kinks.

So why am I doing this? First, politics has always been a great interest to me but the more I got involved in the actual nuts and bolts the more I realized how little I knew about how our system works. My introduction came when I was appointed as Special Counsel for O'Fallon, Missouri and asked to investigate corruption. I found it. More than most of you would believe. However, I also met some people who donated their time and money trying to make a difference and maybe this blog can help in some small way in their effort.

Another reason I decided to join the blog world is that I have learned our traditional media outlets only provide the news they want you to know. True investigative reporting does not seem to be a priority for the St. Louis media. I have been told this type of reporting is not done because this no longer sells but in many cases the media is simply unwilling to rock the boat, especially for those sectors of the business community who funnel a great deal of advertising money their way. And some reporters are just flat out lazy.

This is what lead me to the blogs for news. It doesn't take long to figure out which writers are reliable, but even the most biased blog (some of which I have linked) can be useful as a resource. However, what is missing from many of these blogs, and from much of what passes for political debate, is a factual discussion of the issues. So much of politics has become about winning and losing that our two major parties focus more on attacking the other sides policy than coming up with an alternative, attacking the messenger rather than debate the message, manipulating the voters rather than educating them. Thus, rather than discuss our policy in Iraq we waste our time on Rush Limbaugh and Moveon.org.

And who is to blame for all this? Ultimately its you and I which is why we all need a Wake Up Call.