"To me, I'm a bit bemused at this whole issue," Ulman said about Fox's criticisms. "We've been able to get over 1,000 people. That's a huge accomplishment. We always knew this would be a work in progress."
Ulman's comments are a fine example of Texas sharpshooting. He is trying to draw the target around the bullet holes, rather than shooting a bulls eye. This is the kind of fallacy that politicians use extensively during campaigns. No matter what the other guy does, it is twisted into an example of his or her incompetence. Similarly, no matter how far off the mark that HHAP strays, it will be presented by Ulman as the greatest thing since sliced bread.
If the goal was simply to get people enrolled for programs that they qualified for, why do we need the $500,000 dog and pony show that is the HHAP?
2 comments:
Very accurate description of political maneuvers - whether a politician or other. The difference is who has the power. If folks use this method with each other while at dinner, it's one thing.
But this kind of misrepresentation becomes damaging in correlation to the level of the perpetrator's reach.
That is, bloggers can be guilty as well. My own experience includes being called out for 'attacking' when no attack occurred. Based on resulting comments, the readers thought I had called people names but no one could come up with a single example though all recorded comments are/were available. Because a blogger had power and misused it, people believed what was said regardless of evidence.
It's dangerous because people are reading and believing authority figures. And it's just wrong.
When I first discovered the local blogs I was naively enthusiastic that the truth would newly be available - forget the mainstream press. Disappointment doesn't begin to describe the reaction to what was actually occurring.
Free speech is great - that's what bloggers do, and though they do not recognize their responsibility much like a sports star blathering that he's not a role model, you all have placed yourselves in a position where you can do damage.
And in a local environment of so little deliberation on serious matters - that is disturbing.
So start your own blog and push the issues you think are important. Better to light a candle than curse the darkness.
Post a Comment