Appreciate some feedback on a LTTE I'm writing

[central scrutinizer]

Any and all suggestions welcome:

Editor

It appears the only things that really matter to the Republicans are power and money. The Republican National Congressional Committee is planning on keeping the $550,000 donated by Mark Foley and the House leadership allowed Foley to resign so he could receive his $100,000 per year pension as a former Representative. I’m glad to see that the fiscal conservatives are spending our tax dollars wisely.
Despite knowing for years that Foley was a sexual predator with a penchant for soliciting children, the Republican leadership put him in charge of the House caucus for Missing and Exploited Children. Talk about putting the fox in charge of the henhouse!
That makes as much sense as putting Duke Cunningham on the Armed Services Committee to make it easier for him to take bribes from defense contractors. Oh wait a minute, they did that. That makes as much as sense as putting members who took campaign contributions from Tom Delay on the Ethics committee investigating Delay. Oh wait a minute, they did that, too. That makes as much sense as putting Bob Ney in charge of the House Administration Committee so he would be at the nexus of influence peddling on behalf of Jack Abramoff. Oops, wait a minute, they did that, too.
I’m glad we have such morally upright people in charge.

[ThomCat]

1. Only one cosmetic change.

It's hard to see where the paragraphs are. Spacing would make this easier to read.

The content is wonderful. I hope it gets published.

[Hav]

2. .

I think that other DUers pointed out that he won't receive a 100k pension. I don't know how it's calculated though.

[proud2BlibKansan]

7. I hadn't heard that

Good to know though. What kind of pension will he be getting?

[Hav]

8. .

It was talked about in this thread:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x2273991

Post 52 said
Mark Foley for 12 years service would get $33,150 annually, plus Social Security and health benefits and other benes. About $65,000 for Foley in all in cash and benefit value -- not $100,000.

[blue sky at night]

3. Great Letter.....

you need a few more sentences at the end, perhaps with less sarcasm (I’m glad we have...). You may want to touch on how the fear of retribution is the cause of all of these scandals. No one wants to put their career on the line to do the right thing, that is the bottom line with these folks. The pages knew better than to come forward...their political aspirations would come to an end.

[calimary]

4. I like it, and best of all, it's short.

Unfortunately, a lot of people here put in a great deal of time and thought and effort and other good things into some really worthy treatises, but they're WAY long and won't be read by the frazzled, overworked, underpaid/understaffed editorial staffers who have to assemble the LTTE section every day. Sounds kinda superficial, but it boils down to exactly that. If it's more than a couple of paragraphs, they just won't bother with it, as well-written and comprehensive as it might be.

Yours is great! I like the "oh wait a minute, they did that, too" parts, especially! Great job!

[BOSSHOG]

5. Very Nice

Being the tacky wacky liberal that I am I'd change the last sentence to read:

Thanks Values Voters for sending these people to Washington to serve us; obviously they share your values.

I'm a hateful sumbitch when it comes to the pain and suffering the religiously insane have (and continue to) put our country through.

[central scrutinizer]

6. thanks for the feedback

there were paragraphs in Word but they disappeared when I cut-n-pasted

My local fishwrap has a 250 word limit and this one weighs in at 219 - shorter is more likely to be published

I like sarcasm and satire - Swift is my hero