Good evening, reader!
I just wanted to do a quick update. I cannot tell you how excited I was to get my first comment on this blog. It definitely spurred the conversation in my head!
While the person who left the comment, "Michael", makes a solid point, I think there were a few points I left out in my last post that I would like to clarify. "Michael" points out that Mr. Wyatt may not have job experience or life experience, for that matter, but should that make a difference?
YES.
No offense to Mr. Wyatt, of course, but I for one see a big problem with a 25-year-old, unemployed young man with no history or experience advocating representing me in my government. This is not to say that I disagree with all of Mr. Wyatt's points. There are several views that I think that he and I would see eye to eye on. However, having an opinion is not the only quality needed to be a state representative.
The following is a direct quote from Mr. Wyatt's issue page of his website as of 12:01 A.M., October 14th, 2010.
"Education must come first. We must fully-fund our children's future and trust parents and teachers, not bureaucrats, with their education"
This occurs on a separate page about welfare:
"Strict regulations need to be imposed on the states well-fare system".
See the problem yet? Mr. Wyatt made two English errors in the above statements. The hyphen between 'fully' and 'fund' is unnecessary. Not only that, but what about this "well-fare" system instead of the welfare system? I may understand what Mr. Wyatt is trying to say, but this is a big deal considering that checking facts and reading bills and propositions are going to be an everyday part of the job that is at stake. If Mr. Wyatt isn't even checking his own English… Will he check the bills for us?
The above statement may seem petty, but I know that I check and recheck papers that are going to be seen by my professors before I ever turn them in. I do this to show thoroughness. It took me less than five minutes to spot these two errors, so why didn't Mr. Wyatt?
AND WHAT ABOUT PLAGIARISM?
I invite you to visit the link listed below. The Show Me Progress blog proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that Mr. Wyatt does indeed plagiarize off of the popular television show, The West Wing.
Wyatt – a plagiarizer?
At my school, plagiarism could cause me to fail a class, if I wasn't kicked out. What about Mr. Wyatt? What quality of work, what societal standard, does he hold himself accountable to? To what level would you hold someone that was representing you?
Just a few thoughts…
-Abi
Wow. Talk about being unqualified. I agree with you Abi when it comes to experience and quality of work. I take my papers and homework assignments seriously, and even though I do make mistakes, I put someone representing the state on a higher pedestal and therefore should do a better job than me. I mean it's not the only thing that is important when choosing a state representative, but it does influence my views on an individual.
ReplyDeleteA few spelling errors can slip through the cracks of even the most seasoned individuals. Plagiarism, on the other hand, is simply not excusable. We, as the electorate, must never fall into complacency and demand more of individuals that run for office and represent us. If you manage to be dishonest once, the second time is easier, and the third time makes it natural...
ReplyDeleteI agree with your premise that this Wyatt character needs nothing to do with government if he's 25, unemployed and without much "real life experience."
ReplyDeleteNow, thats not to say that he COULDN'T do a good job, because he could. Nobody can know for sure, not even himself, based on the fact that its uncharter territory and various curve balls could be thrown his way that could make or break him.
However, there are far too many unknowns in this situation, including lack of experience and as you said, the plagerism facet, too. The spelling doesn't bother me as much as it does you, but point taken.
I like his drive and dreams - there isn't anything worng with them. And perhaps he'd prove us all wrong - NOBODY is sure fire "bulletproof" for office.
But the general shadiness of his profile makes it much too big of a risk to take.
Yeah a few errors could slip through even the best editor or educated person, but bad English leads to bad representation of himself and leads to a downfall in credibility. How does he expect to give a speech about education when obviously he didn't take his too seriously, and seriously, what politician (or wunnabe politician) spells welfare incorrectly? ...just sayin.
ReplyDeleteBasically, Abi, I agree with you. Yeah he might have some opinions you or I could side with but I could also side with the 5 year old walking down normal who says the road needs to be fixed...doesn't make him eligible to run for office. He should probably think about bettering his image before he takes on the state's image.
Quite the post you've got there, Abi. I'm intrigued by your arguments that because of a few spelling and grammar mistakes on Zach's website he is somehow unfit for office. I didn't realize those were disqualifying factors. I guess I'm a little more focused on what the Missouri Constitution outlines as the qualifications for office. "To each his own" I suppose.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the text on Zach's website about Veteran's Issues goes (the text mentioned in this post), that text has been removed from the site. When we interviewed Zach he mentioned that he was not aware that the material was plagiarized. An old military colleague of Zach's offered to compose some of Zach's written stance on Veteran's Issues. When it was offered to Zach, he thought the text was very eloquent and portrayed his thoughts on the issue very well. Zach wasn't aware that the text had come from an episode of "The West Wing" that aired in 2002.
When you really look at it, it's not really a surprise to us that Zach didn't immediately recognize the wording from an obscure six-year-old episode of a TV show he never watched. It was an honest mistake, and when Zach was notified that the material was indeed not completely original, he removed it from his website. What more do you want? It was an honest mistake and the issue has been resolved. It's not like he's trying to cover it up or act like he's not at fault. How about we talk about Zach's stance on policy issues instead of questioning the character of a veteran who served his country honorably for six and a half years?
And to your description of Zach as "unemployed," I suppose that technically, you are correct. However, you are failing to mention that Zach was just honorably discharged from the military for a shoulder injury and since his discharge has been campaigning full-time for this seat. Although no one is paying him to knock on doors, attend fundraisers, talk to voters, and understand the 2nd District, that doesn't mean he isn't working.
Sounds like an interesting race starting up in that area of the state. I spent a little time looking at both candidates websites, and if I was in their districts, would like to know more on where they stand on various issues.
ReplyDeleteHealthcare is going to be a key point, but would be interested in learning how the candidate views the current deficit, unemployment issues, second amendment rights, etc.
Dear Michael Dijak and Paul Bischoff--
ReplyDeleteThe West Wing is listed on Zachary Wyatt's facebook as being one of his favortie shows. Did Zach tell you he had never seen the show? I don't think he should be villified for borrowing verse (Shakespeare did) but if he immediately starts lying to insulate himself... well... then I'm more concerned. But maybe Zach didn't write his facebook either, which then starts to beg the question... what credited to him, has he written?
Oh, I spelled favorite wrong...unqualified for office!
ReplyDelete