Questions for Roseann Morning at the Springfield News-Leader Over Latest Billy Long Puff Piece

The reporting at the Springfield News-Leader is lazy. It appears to me they take what Billy Long says and print it without ever fact checking it. Roseann Morning has written the lastest puff piece of Congressman Long, as Long is in the district for two weeks not holding one town hall meeting to face voters who have questions and opinions to share with Congressman Long.

Just seems to me the job of a journalist is just too easy to leave out the obvious questions and research that Roseann Morning leaves out of her latest piece on Congressman Long, so Roseann, if you are reading, here's what the public needs to know that you left out.

Why didn't the News-Leader ask about Long's 1/3 share in Murney Associates that he also promised to sell before taking office? As well, according to the Turner Report, Billy Long Auctions hasn't been dissolved according to the Secretary of State's office. Does anyone research this stuff at the News-Leader?

The News-Leader writes Long has been getting praise for his stance on the debt ceiling. I am a little confused as to what that stance is after reading Long's interview with the National Journal last week.

Long said, "We are going to have to get some extreme, not extreme—we’re going to have to get some good-sized spending cuts before I’d even look at it. It’s going to be another negotiating thing."

Some extreme, not extreme? What does that mean? Long hasn't proposed one dime of spending cuts since he got to Washington, but he has been returning the favors of donors by proposing National Auctioneer Day and pushing for National Golf Day (donation expected). Long promised Southwest Missouri with a Larry the Cable guy quote the GOP got the $100 billion in spending cuts done only to vote against them in the end, all the while he voted to continue federal funding of NASCAR teams. I would sure like to know what some extreme--not extreme means considering Long's wishy washy behavior so far, especially when you consider he is co-sponsoring bills that grow the size of government through the Department of Homeland Security, which increase government spending.

Finally Billy Long has a lot of nerve saying he is more Tea Party than the Tea Party after voting for the Patriot Act, funding for NASCAR teams, more intrusive government at the DHS level, and turning over an enemies list to the FBI. If the News-Leader would dig rather than take him at face value, we might actually produce a Congressman who takes his job more seriously and doesn't just deliver the sound bites Long thinks his constituents want to hear.