Letter: Politicians, media must not ignore public comments

Thursday, Aug. 11, 2005 | 9:07 a.m.

We all should respect those who choose politics and the media as professions. Of course, they must earn this respect by responding to our concerns with honesty.

Some politicians ignore requests from citizen activists. This is rude and goes against the vision of our Founding Fathers. They thought that citizens had the right and duty to petition government. It is essential for good government to do so.

Journalists, too, should not ignore citizen activists. One of my pet peeves involves print reporters who attend public meetings, but only cover what the officials say, leaving out of their stories the comments by citizen activists. Comments from the citizens are apt to be the most important statements made in a government meeting.

I recently attended two meetings of the Southern Nevada Regional Planning Coalition. In covering both meetings, the print media failed to report the most important part -- the public comments made by citizens. The comments contained advice on how to treat homeless people with more respect.

This is a critically important issue, as there is no emergency weather shelter after 4 p.m. Imagine being out on the street in the rain, or during times when the temperature exceeds 100 degrees. The cost of homelessness is always overstated, allowing politicians to plead "lack of funds" while claiming that they actually care about our fellow citizens on the street. With more concern from politicians, and better coverage by journalists, maybe there would be greater efforts to help the homeless.

I am not talking about all politicians or all print reporters, but to those who take offense to this letter, I'd suggest that if the shoe fits, wear it.

FRANK PERNA