Another front page controversy

Well, I've done it again.

Not everyone was thrilled with this Friday front page, in particular that lead headline.

In particular, it seemed to bother some of our fine elected representatives in Harrisburg.

They think the newspaper was taking a cheap shot at them, that the headline 'Hosed' carries a negative connotation, that the public was somehow being cheated or otherwise being ill-served by the folks who voted for the $2.3 billion transportation package that resulted in price hikes at the gas pump.

That was not our intent.

What we wanted to show was that it did not take long for the price hike, which everyone knew was coming with the first of the year and the passage of the plan, to hit them in the wallets when they went to fill up their tanks.

Prices jumped as much as a dime in the first two days of the new year.

We have editorialized numerous times that the transportation package was necessary to address the state's crumbling infrastructure and underfunded transit systems. We've also been clear that it was going to come with a cost. That was evident to anyone who failed to fill up their tank before the new year. That delay cost them.

We were not accusing legislators of somehow hood-winking the public. We merely were pointing out the fact that prices at the pump are up.

Make no mistake. That was my headline and my idea for that front page. I came up with the idea for the illustration of the of the pumps, and the 'Hosed' headline as a reference to the gas hoses and the fact that prices were going up.

Obviously, not everyone shared that opinion.

It's something I have learned to count on in this business. That front page is extremely important. And people pay pretty close attention to it. And they're not timid about letting me know when they think we've either stepped over the line, or are being unfair.

Once again, I can assure you that I have heard your complaints.