Eclectic commentary from a progressive voice in the red state

Sunday, September 28, 2014

More Propaganda and Lapdog Journalism

The Amarillo Globe-News published another piece of city propaganda about downtown development on Sunday. We’ve heard the song before, of course. You know, the deal is just around the corner.

Look, the reality is that Wallace Bajjali has not delivered in years. The last project that they completed was a development in Sugarland; but, remember, David Wallace was mayor of that little Houston suburb, so no telling what kinds of things went on behind the scenes. The fact is that Wallace Bajjali hasn’t delivered a full project on its own in Kingswood, Joplin and Amarillo.

And, the City Commission/Council hasn’t done well, either. First, they promised the Globe-News Center would be privately funded and then taxpayers had to pony up $1.8 million. Then, as a poster on the Amarillo Globe-News website pointed out, the City Commission/Council promised no taxpayer dollars would be spent on this “public-private partnership,” but the city has spent millions, including almost $1 million in “pursuit” cost reimbursement to Wallace Bajjali. All the while, the city has cynically embarked on a disinformation campaign in alliance with the Amarillo Globe-News, which has an ongoing role as the city’s lapdog. And while not recognizing journalistic ethics if it bit the paper on the ass, the Amarillo Globe-News continues to pump out PR for the City Commission/Council while the daily rag’s publisher remains a member of the city’s Local Government Corp.

While much of the media are focused on the November elections, Amarillo has a municipal election coming up in May 2015. Perhaps it’s time for a revolution with credible candidates coming forward with the agenda of ending this downtown debacle. Because, folks, there are only two ways to stop this stupidity: a change in leadership or a lawsuit.


I can hope.