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Health & Fitness

Good Advice For Politicians: When You Promise To Do An Interview Keep Your Word And Do The Interview

Good Advice For Politicians: When You Promise To Do An Interview Keep Your Word And Do The Interview

By John Lofton

Director, The God And Government Project

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JLof@aol.com

Over the past several weeks I have sought interviews with all members of the Laurel City Council. Frederick Smalls is  one of those individuals. He is President of the Laurel City Council. After several emails sent to him, Smalls finally replied: “Mr. Lofton, My schedule is very busy. I will arrange a date and time to speak with you early next week.”

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I replied: “Appreciate that very much, sir and will stand by for further information.”

But, no further information was forthcoming. I heard nothing back from Smalls.

So, weeks go by. I go to the “Candidates’ Forum” at City Hall. I see Smalls there. I introduce myself and ask him: “Did you not promise me an interview and say you would get back to me?” He says yes, he did. I ask: So, what happened? Smalls says he decided not to give me an interview because he did not like my conduct at the Obamacare signup.  I sk: And you could not have the  common courtesy to contact me and tell me you has decided not to do the interview? He says: “No.”

I have been, among other things, a journalist for almost 50 years. This includes having been the editor of one newspaper, the news editor of another paper and a columnist for yet a third newspaper. In all those years I have never had a person agree to an interview and then (1) Not do the interview and (2) Not bother to tell me his reason for not doing the promised interview. 

A footnote: The conduct Smalls says he did not like was my interviewing people in the gym at Laurel High School where people were signing up for Obamacare. My question was: “Where in the U.S. Constitution is Congress authorized to spend money on anybody’s healthcare?” No one I asked the question gave the correct answer. The correct answer is: Nowhere --- which is why Obamacare in unconstitutional.

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