When we moved to Wellington more than 22 years ago, we knew nothing of the western communities. Well the Town-Crier took care of that, and I’m proud to say, I became friends with the publisher, Bob Markey Sr. We had numerous discussions over the years about Wellington, its politics and from whence we both came, New York. I will miss him as a true friend and neighbor.
Undoubtedly, he was one of Wellington’s founding fathers, offering us unbiased information and a reasonable opinion article about various problems that arose. (Incorporation, for example.)
The good news is that now, we have the Mannings, who have taken over the paper for quite some time, and their professionalism shows, too.
Both Barry and Josh Manning have continued Bob’s legacy, and unlike so many papers that push agendas and certain political veins, the Town-Crier does not. It continues the old trend of reporting and letting us draw conclusions.
Sadly, many of our daily papers push an agenda, much like the television news, which is too often bought and paid for by the activist owners and their proponents/supporters, that actually causes degradation of education and free thought.
Long ago, some of our forefathers warned us of an uneducated populace, suggesting that democracy cannot thrive under such circumstances, and today’s government shutdown is but one example of our failure, where 5 percent of the population can hold our government hostage. That’s 5 percent because of gerrymandering where a majority are not heard, and when counting votes in totality nationwide, the party with the most votes in totality in the House of Representatives is the minority.
Where the majority of southern states (minus Texas and Florida) are parasitical states, getting more back from the federal government than they put in in taxes, and yet scream about “big government” that indeed props up their states, while at the same time they are trying to degrade the very government that gives them handouts. Where is our education and knowledge of this?
On our local level, I’m thankful for our Town-Crier, and yes, it is our Town-Crier, because of Bob Markey and the Mannings, we can be an educated populace if we are wise enough to avail ourselves of this free print.
On a personal note, I would like to thank both Bob and Josh for answering the phone and calling back to assist me in being a better citizen, because quite often they correct me, or at minimum, advise me. Yes, friends, not just paper writers, and that is to anyone who bothers to contact them!
George Unger, Wellington
