Again?

Today, for the second time this week, hard-hitting financial news site TheStreet.com has substituted opinionated pabulum for the informative journalism they normally serve. Let’s see if anyone notices!

I have been a reader of TheStreet.com for a decade. I’ve exchanged email with Jim Cramer and Herb Greenberg. Herb Greenberg once quoted me online. Over the years, I have pointed my readers to a number of really good articles on TheStreet.com They do good journalism with a minimum of spin… normally.

This week has been a bit of a departure.

I called foul — fowl? — on their piece the other day about how we can pretend to solve under-funding at the USDA inspection program by choosing to buy 25% of our food purchases from local sources. Today we have more garbage to take out at TheStreet.com.

I refer to an item entitled 10 Biggest Bonehead Moves at Airport Security. Among the proposed offensive faux pas are “Forgetting That Your Baby Is a Suspect as Well”, “Leaving Your X-Rays at the Doctor’s Office”, and “Dressing Like a Rapper (If You’re Not a Rapper)”. How clever, dear! Did you think of those all by yourself? Because goodness knows it would be racist to even imagine Gangstalicious and Thugnificent pose any security risk whatsoever. Excuse me, I think I’m having an overdose of snark. I think a more apt title, considering the content and tone, would be “10 Security Theatre Motions You Need to Shut Up and Do so I Can Get My Much More Important Self to the Gate.” Do you suppose that’s the rejected title?

Now make no mistake: like most people, when I am in the airport security line it is because I have to get somewhere; if I didn’t have to get somewhere, I might protest the asinine security procedures that protect nobody; then again if I didn’t have to get somewhere I would not be there at all. I suppose I would feel better about this article if she had referenced and endorsed a program like this recently announced pilot program that lets travelers choose a security line based on how comfortable they are with the screening process. This is even doubly so since TheStreet.com has more assorted professionals as readers, and they are apt to be generally more savvy fliers than many people. They generally don’t need to be told to take off their belt buckles and shoes.

I think it’s time for a certain financial news site to re-examine its editorial policies.

In closing: Top 15 misconceptions about evolution; some actual financial news on the erosion of wages; speaking of economics, Erza points us to the top 100 economics blogs; States act to prevent insurance companies from further screwing us; Zoinks, we’re still dribbling details about Cheney’s secret energy task force; in the real world contraceptives still prevent abortion; shunting medical costs onto consumers is actually counterproductive; look for the Union Label if you like decent wages; don’t you need a coffee making robot?; two strange computer accessories from Japan that I can’t decide if they are useful or silly; it apparently takes the Spanish to make solar energy in Arizona; speaking of Arizona, how about that Rick Renzi?; and last but not least, when credit cards attack.