A number of people have written me on Facebook or by e-mail, or have told me in person, that they miss my insights since I left the Herald-Standard. So, by semi-popular demand, I’ve decided to fire up the old blog, have a little fun and perhaps stimulate some discussion.

But not just yet, in any big way. I’d prefer to sort of get reacquainted with the audience and reacclimated a bit to that style of writing. So I’m going to ease into things.

I was telling a friend the other day that it’s only been a little more than two months since I left the paper, but it seems like ages. Maybe that’s the way it is normally, but I’ve made exactly one major career change in my life, so the adjustment is novel to me.

One thing I will say is this: I doubt that some people who write for (or to) the blogs and chat boards are aware that they can be sued for libel. They churn out so many rumors, innuendoes and outright lies that it gets funny after a while. There also seems to be a lot of bitterness and political posturing involved.

I got victimized by some of that, and so did my friend and former colleague Mark O’Keefe,  and all I can say is that if those folks would put their real name to what they have to say, you’d to able to connect the dots on their motivations real quick. Always consider the source when you read something. If someone doesn’t have the courage to put his or her real name to his or her opinions, they are naturally suspect.

When I was editorial page editor, we’d sometimes get these scathing letters that would attack someone or some institution, making all sorts of allegations and basically trashing reputations. Then they would be signed “Anonymous,”  or the writer would want us to keep their name out of it. We required that the name be published — and we didn’t permit libelous comments to be made.

Sometimes the writer would protest, saying we were afraid to run the letter or were covering something up. Then I would say, “What if someone wrote  a letter like this about you? And how long would it take you to sue if we printed it?” The response usually was silence, or, “Oh, I see what you mean.”

When it comes  to the ultimate strength of one’s convictions, I prefer the German Township way, which is the most noble: “Say what you have to say to someone’s face, or don’t say it at all.”

In fact, I think it was Stush Halupkie who coined that phrase … ain’t you glad I’m back?

I am proud and thankful that my longtime boss and friend would write this about me. True to form, it’s pretty accurate, too. I’m sure anyone who really knows me would agree. Thanks, Mark.

H-S won’t be the same without Sunyak

By: Mark O’Keefe, executive editor

04/07/2009

Friday was one of my toughest days at the Herald-Standard since I started here back on June 15, 1981.
It was the last day for my good friend and hard-working colleague Paul Sunyak.

Simply put, this place will never be the same.
Personally and professionally, it’s quite a loss. Paul started working here about six months before I did, and our careers have been intertwined over the past 28 years.
We pretty much hit it off from the beginning. A live wire if there ever was one, Paul always enjoyed a good laugh or a funny story, and we shared many of those over the years.
Of course Paul was never hesitant about letting you know where he stood on the various issues of the day. We had daily discussions about all sorts of things. For the most part we saw things from the same point of view, but we had our differences and sometimes the arguments got a little heated. But just as quickly as the argument started it would be over, and we’d be back laughing and joking.
You see, the best part about Paul is you always know where you stand with him. He’s as upfront as anyone. He doesn’t tell you what you want to hear, and he certainly doesn’t beat around the bush. Good, bad or indifferent, he just lets it fly and says what’s on his mind.
He’s also loyal to a fault. In all our time here, I never had to worry about Paul going behind my back or saying one thing and doing another. He was true to his word. If he said something, he’d do it, come hell or high water. No excuses. He just did it. And in my book that’s the ultimate compliment.
Paul started here as a part-time sportswriter and eventually was hired full time as a news reporter. Within a year or two, he was moved to the paper’s new features department. There his excellent writing abilities began to surface as he brought stories about all types of people and places to life with his sparkling prose. He quickly gained a reputation as the best writer on the staff.
From there he was moved to the county government beat. While he balked at first, Paul settled in quickly and did an outstanding job. First he uncovered corruption at the Fayette County Housing Authority, which eventually led to the arrest and jailing of the executive director there.
Next up was the Fayette County Election Bureau and fraud problems there. And there were many more scoops and exclusive stories to come. The awards soon followed, and there were many. Paul won more awards than any reporter in the history of the newspaper, including many contests where he went up against reporters from the biggest newspapers in the state. It was incredible, especially for a newspaper of our size.
I had followed Paul’s career from a distance of sorts. I worked the nightshift for 17 years, and Paul worked dayside. While our paths crossed everyday, we never really worked together.
But that all changed about 10 years ago when I became the dayside managing editor and more importantly, Paul’s direct supervisor.
I then began to see all the pressure that Paul was under in covering county government. Everyone in the county, or so it seemed, had their own angle and agenda, and they all wanted Paul to make sure it was included in each and every story. I saw first hand his courage and determination in handling those who were trying to manipulate him. I also saw people try to destroy him and watched as Paul valiantly stood up to them and refused to give in.
I continued to supervise Paul directly when I became executive editor five years ago and promoted him to editorial page editor about a year later. It was a no-brainer to be sure. He was certainly knowledgeable about all the issues facing our readers, and he was unmatched in his writing skills.
It turned out to be one of the best decisions I ever made. He was clear and concise in making the case for our various stands, and his editorials were must reading for anyone concerned about the issues of the day.
Again, he was under fire from all sides. Many people thought he was too critical and too caustic. They didn’t seem to understand that he was supposed to give his opinion. Was he maybe a shade too direct? Maybe. No one’s perfect. But the thing with Paul was that he cared so much about what was best for the people of Fayette County. He just couldn’t bring himself to turn a blind eye to anyone who was in it for their own self interests.
In many ways, he was the conscience of not only the Herald-Standard but Fayette County. He fulfilled the true mission of a newspaper, which is to be a watchdog for the people. And for that, everyone should be grateful. He deserves nothing but well wishes as he starts a new career.
And for all the politicians out there, happy to see Paul go, I have a message. Don’t think for a minute that our mission has changed one iota. We will still hold all of our local politicians accountable. There will be no free passes or playing games. As long as I’m here, we will continue in the tradition of Paul Sunyak. He wouldn’t want it any other way.
Mark O’Keefe is the executive editor of the Herald-Standard. O’Keefe can be reached by e-mail at mo’keefe@heraldstandard, by regular mail at 8 Church St., Uniontown, Pa., 15401 or by phone at 724-439-7569.

Paul Sunyak

The little guy staring back at you to the right of these words is me in kindergarten, dressed up in a snazzy red vest and bow tie. As I depart the Herald-Standard after 28-plus years, I’d like to tell you a little about this kid, so you might better understand how many of his dreams came true right here, on the pages of his hometown newspaper.
He grew up in Lamberton, German Township, Fayette County — and remains proud of all three places to this day. He was a skinny kid who wore glasses and read a lot, including The Evening Standard. He also had a mail subscription to “The Sporting News,” a weekly magazine that featured the work of some of the nation’s best sportswriters, and he read it cover to cover.
As he digested the work of these writers — their way with words, the imagery they conjured up, the fact that they actually got paid to attend games and to talk to the top athletes of the day — he dreamed little boy dreams that some day, a kid from a small town, who rode his bicycle most places, played two-on-two baseball on many a day, and who guarded his left-hander’s glove like a gold brick because it would be costly to replace, might some day see his name in print.
He thought that with hard work and little luck, maybe, just maybe, some day he might be somebody, maybe even someone who could make a difference. He didn’t have much money and didn’t know any powerful people, this son of a coal miner and a sweater factory worker, but he had half a brain, intellectual curiosity and a never-say-die attitude, and he set out to make the best of what he had.
Lesson number one: You can succeed no matter where you come from, if you want it bad enough.
He went to a college that he could afford, which meant two years at Penn State Fayette Campus, during which he worked part-time as a stock boy at the old Gee Bee Furniture Store at Uniontown Mall. It wasn’t glamorous work, but it kept him in shape and helped pay for tuition and books, and for upkeep on the old Dodge Coronet 440 he drove to school and work every day.
Lesson number two: Take the path that presents itself, and make the best of the situation.
He then went to University Park as a junior and made the Penn State student newspaper, The Daily Collegian, which turned into his greatest journalism learning experience. The kids there were much like him: energetic, idealistic, tremendous lovers of newspapers and deadlines — and committed to getting the story right. They could all write, and the stiff competition made him better at what he did.
Lesson number three: Embrace competition, because it will only make you better at what you do.
After graduation, he landed another part-time job, this time at the Herald-Standard, and was promised the next full-time reporting job. Nine months passed, during which four full-timers left, and when the fifth opening came, he was hired.
Lesson number four: Don’t be discouraged if you don’t get what you want right away.
He eventually settled into a job as feature writer. One day, he was drafted to start covering county government while someone was on maternity leave. He balked at the new assignment, considering it supremely unfair. But it turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to him professionally, as the work put him on a path that led to numerous journalism awards, most notably for coverage of the Fayette County Housing Authority and of voter fraud in the county.
Lesson number five: Realize that everything happens for a reason, even though you might not be able to understand it at the time.
During his time at the Herald-Standard, he  had the support of some very good coworkers, editors and publishers. Without that support, a lot of stories could have been quashed before they began. Those pressures were at times enormous, but the higher-ups didn’t budge.
Lesson number six: No man (or woman) is an island. No matter what you do, someone, somewhere has got to have your back in order for you to flourish.
He took a lot of flak over the years from people who didn’t like something he wrote, but the critics never caused him to lose one night’s sleep. That’s because he was confident that many more people appreciated knowing what was really going on.
Lesson number seven: Everyone will have his or her critics. Learn to roll with the punches, knowing that truth is the ultimate vindicator.
He watched friends and coworkers come and go, and sometimes reappear, and sometimes die, and learned that change is the only constant in life. None of us really knows what tomorrow will bring, good or bad. Life has a way of taking you from the penthouse to the outhouse, and vice versa.
Lesson number eight: Every day is truly a gift from God. You should never take it for granted.
To everyone, thanks for reading my stuff over the years. And for letting me into your homes, either in person or as a byline. I hope you’ve enjoyed this ride as much as I have.
I’m leaving on my own terms, to take a communications job in state government. Here’s how I’d like to be remembered:
No matter what the task, Paul Sunyak gave us his best.
Paul Sunyak was a sports writer, general assignment reporter, feature writer, government affairs reporter, investigative reporter, special projects coordinator and editorial page editor for the Herald-Standard, and he loved every minute of it.
He would like to thank his coworkers and bosses (current and former), and his readers and sources, for helping him live out a dream. From this point on, he can be reached at psunyak@hotmail.com. Or check his blog at paulsunyak.wordpress.com.

I’m trying to figure out why congressional Republicans don’t like this country. Here’s why: I spent the better part of the eight-year Bush presidency watching them support costly wars in Iraq and Afghanistan — efforts estimated to cost more than a trillion dollars. A big part of how they measured success was telling us how many roads, bridges and schools that U.S. taxpayer money was building in Iraq. I heard that at least 100 times. They also measured success by telling us how the Iraqi economy was improving and that things would get better as people, especially young men, started working.

All that war money was borrowed, and will be paid back by future generations. (That’s because the GOP, which railed against deficit spending when they weren’t in charge, failed to adhere to the pay-as-you-go method when they ran the show.) Fiscal accountability on how all that money was being spent didn’t matter to Republicans, who controlled congress and the presidency.

Now that Democrats are in charge, they want to spend nearly a trillion dollars here at home, doing things like building roads, bridges and schools on U.S. soil — and putting many people, including young men, to work. This money will also be paid by future generations. But there appears to be much more accountability on how that money will be spent, compared to the money flushed away to defense contractors in Iraq.

Who are the real economic patriots? I’m voting for the Democrats.

In the Great Depression, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt created New Deal programs to help people who were out of work and, in many cases, didn’t have anything to eat. Talk to someone who lived through it and they’ll tell you how bleak their lives were. There were no food stamps, there was no public housing, no government subsidized health care. You were on your own.

Back then, people were eager to work but simply had no jobs. Two of Roosevelt’s signature programs — the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Works Progress Administration — gave them the opportunity to earn a little money. But you had to go to work to get it. I remember my grandmother telling me that my grandfather earned $50 a month working for the WPA. He was glad to get it — and willing to work to earn it.

Fast forward to today’s economy, and President Barack Obama’s big stimulus package. I’m watching TV right now and they’re talking about how $75 billion is being devoted to helping people who got subprime mortgages and can no longer afford those payments. These people aren’t going hungry; they’re living in houses that in most cases are probably bigger than mine, and probably worth much more. As a responsible person who has always lived within my means and made owning my own home a financial priority — foregoing expensive vacations and new vehicles – why should my tax dollars be used to bail out irresponsible people?

I read yesterday that the stimulus plan will result in the Social Security Administration sending one-time $250 checks to people who are disabled or on Social Security. It’s being called an “economic recovery payment.” Nothing against folks in either of those categories, but it’s a real stretch to claim that this is a way to create or preserve jobs. It’s not exactly building roads or bridges.

My point is that all the comparisons of today’s crisis to the Great Depression are not valid. Today the government is helping people stay in expensive homes, whereas in the the 1930s many people didn’t have a home at all. And the government is sending checks to people who aren’t working, whereas before you had to work for your money.

A certain financially troubled city in Fayette County should be getting some visitors early next week. They’ll be asking to look at some things.

Unlike some prior handlers of city finances, these people know what they’re doing when to comes to adding up numbers. Got enough of a clue?

It should make for an interesting week.

The current economic meltdown — frozen credit, big banks needing bailouts, people losing their homes, mounting unemployment — should offer proof positive that giving tax breaks to the wealthy and to corporations because they “create jobs” is a bunch of hooey.

For the last generation or so, the political right has spoon fed the American public a bunch of economic gobbledygook, starting with the aforementioned theory. If it really worked, we’d have more jobs than ever.

Another fable concerns how the CEOs and top brass making ultra-big bucks — including obscene bonuses — deserve that compensation because their astute business acumen keeps their companies afloat.

As I watched seven or so bank bigwigs testify before a congressional committee this week, two things became readily apparent: First, they don’t live in anything resembling the real world; and second, if they were that good at what they do, their companies wouldn’t have screwed up so badly.

Don’t buy the bunk that all kinds of outside factors created this huge financial crisis, that it was beyond anyone’s control. If that were so, wouldn’t all banks be affected?

My bank, Centra in Uniontown, isn’t lining up for a federal handout. In fact, here’s what Douglas J. Leach, chairman, president and CEO, said regarding Centra’s performance for the third quarter of 2008: “We reached our highest level of profits since opening our doors in 2000. Year-to-date earnings for the first nine months of 2008 were $5.78 million, a 23 percent increase over the first nine months of 2007, and a record level for the company. For the quarter, net income was $2.03 million, representing a 22 percent increase over the same period last year, also a record level of earnings.”

That performance coming from a bank that has branches in Fayette County, Pa., Morgantown and Martinsburg, W.Va.; and Hagerstown, Md. Those places aren’t exactly Manhattan or southern Florida when it comes to aggregate wealth. Maybe Leach should be running Citibank or Merrill Lynch. He seems to know more about what he’s doing than the folks currently at the helm.

And I bet his bank doesn’t even hand out billions of dollars in bonuses, which makes its profitability even more amazing. After all, you’ve got to pay huge sums to attract and retain all that top talent, right?

Tax calculations

My federal income tax bracket is 25 percent. According to Forbes.com, in 2007 Bill Gates was the U.S.’s richest person, worth $56 billion. According to the IRS tax calculator, anyone earning more than $357,000 is in the 35 percent tax bracket.

Thus, in broad terms Gates should be paying $17.85 billion per year in federal income tax. I wonder who gets more tax deductions and has more shelters for income, guys like Gates, or people like you and me? Oh, wait, I almost forgot … Gates is one of those rich people who create jobs for the rest of us, so he’s supposed to get the most preferential treatment.

Keep the money at home

Much of Pennsylvania is sitting atop the Marcellus Shale, a lucrative vein of natural gas estimated to be worth in the billions of dollars.

Gov. Ed Rendell wants to create a natural gas extraction tax, projected to bring in $632 million, that would go to the state’s general fund. State Rep. Bill DeWeese, D-Waynesburg, is reintroducing legislation that would permit the value of oil and natural gas to be assessed for taxation purposes.

But DeWeese wants to ensure that additional tax revenue stays in the local area, meaning school districts, counties and municipalities should get a cut of the booty.

DeWeese’s approach makes sense. After all, the host counties for slots parlors get big bucks each year just because they have those facilities. In fact, Washington County is getting about $12 million dollars this year from gambling at The Meadows Racetrack and Casino.

Paul Sunyak is editorial page editor of the Herald-Standard. You can reach him at 724-439-7577 or psunyak@heraldstandard.com

I received this from several people today via e-mail. It’s just a matter of time before Leno or Letterman get hold of it, so here’s your preview.

What game was this?

And some folks think dissension at public meetings or covering controversies in the paper gives Fayette County a bad name.

It’s music to my ears that President Barack Obama is proposing a salary cap for executives of firms that are receiving some of that $700 billion in federal bailout money. The cap is reported to be $500,000; it would apply to companies that got “exceptional assistance,” such as American International Group Inc., Citigroup Inc. and the Big Three automakers.

“If the taxpayers are helping you, then you’ve got certain responsibilities to not be living high on the hog,” President Obama said. Amen, amen, amen. The companies run by these executives would be going under without government help, so they should be lucky to even have a job. Keep in mind that not every financial institution or automaker is in this precarious position. Just those that were horribly mismanaged to begin with.

Predictably, those who want to make the fat cats immune from feeling the pain of their own bad decisions are starting the spin. A story posted on MSNBC said that compensation experts in the private sector have “warned” that meddling in such things might discourage participation in the rescue program, thus slowing down the financial sector’s recovery. Come again? Obama can’t cap CEO pay from its obscenely high levels, lest he risk that companies teetering on the edge of fiscal insolvency say “no” to a pile of federal cash?

Don’t look for moral support on this issue from the Senate’s top Republican, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who says, “I really don’t want the government to take over these businesses and start telling them everything about what they can do. Then you truly have nationalized the business.” That’s another scare tactic: No one’s telling these businesses “everything” about what they can do, nor have those businesses officially been nationalized. They’re simply being given the terms of agreement to a loan, the same as you would when you sign on the dotted line. Don’t like the terms? Then don’t take the money.

Personally, I don’t like the “welfare state” that allows these lazy, underperforming executives to stick around, sucking at the government teat. If this were a group of welfare mommas lining up for big government assistance, the political right would issue a mighty hue and cry, saying it’s time they learned to stand on their own two feet. Instead, we have McConnell urging restraint.

I would urge the boards of directors of those companies to further cut costs by utilitizing the same free trade pacts that have cost millions of regular workers their jobs. Surely there has to be a really sharp MBA candidate in Mexico or China who would gladly run AIG or Citigroup for $500,000 per year, maybe even less. How come nobody’s found him or her yet?

What Obama is saying about executive pay is something you’d never get past a Republican president’s lips without using forceps and a suction device. This is the type of change we need. Go, Obama!

A day after Barack Obama was sworn in as president, the TV “news” contained the usual saturation coverage of the issue most on the minds of Americans: How did Michelle Obama’s inaguration dress go over? I actually heard someone ask, “What statement did it make?”

Is this something most people really care — or should care — about? I don’t think so. Unless Michelle Obama shows up wearing a bikini or a whiskey barrel, it’s just not that newsworthy. But we’re all being told how her dress was designed by some 26-year-old designer named Jason Wu, and what a wonderful choice that was.

As late as yesterday, most Americans would have been saying, “Jason who?” But now, even though they have no idea of anything else he’s ever done, lots of them will follow TV’s lead and hail him as a fashion designer of the highest order.

Such is the nature of TV “news” these days. Give me “60 Minutes” any time.