Ben Franklin said "Freedom of the press belongs to those who own a press." This truism is exemplified by the Herald's long-term "monorail at any cost" whining. I had hoped The Herald would have been capable of presenting some sort of journalism, in the form of unbiased presentation and analysis of the important issues.

Instead, ownership chose to present only one-sided project cheerleading and attacks on opponents. I don't recall seeing the Herald campaigning like this on any past issues. Even in articles written by Tim St. Clair to high journalistic standards, the headlines were consistently twisted to make monorail skeptics look like morons and monsters.

Here are a few thoughts for you. The mayor and other political leaders didn't get behind the monorail because they saw that it was being run by amateurs, and had a fantasy-based financial plan. They did not want to hang their careers on what was clearly a misadventure from day one.

Let's imagine the future had the monorail project not been shut down, and was allowed to be built. The monorail is 60 percent completed, but it has run out of money. Where does the money to complete it come from? The uncompleted project sits abandoned for a couple of years while board members blame the city's political leaders for their failures.

Let's imagine a less disastrous scenario. The monorail is completed within budget. It's opening day. Here are a few probable general reactions to this grand accomplishment. "It looks and feels so much smaller than in the artist's rendering." "Too bad it only has four stations. I don't live within walking distance of any of them." "Those support columns are an eyesore. I never imagined they'd look like that." "$5 is a lot of money for a trip to Interbay."

It is a shame so much money was wasted with no results. However, throwing good money after bad would have been catastrophic. I strongly believe the city should buy all the station properties from the monorail authority and save them for future use in a new plan conceived by professionals. We will still need mass transit, and these properties will be essential public assets in any future plan. They would be the public's investment for its own future benefit. Not the mayor's, not the City Council's. It doesn't make sense to sell them now only to buy them back in a few years at a premium.

I think it's time The Herald stopped whining, pouting, and being a sore loser. Most people think your point of view was "wrong." Move on, get over it.

By being a zealous advocate for a cause that was a disaster from day one, and labeling those who disagree with you as "idiots," you have sacrificed a significant amount of your credibility. It's time for the Herald to decide if it's going practice something resembling journalism or be just a mouthpiece for its ownership.

Eric Shalit

Seaview