Ghost writing has been with us for a long time. Many Biblical scholars believe Moses really didn’t write the five initial books of the Bible despite that having been the traditional explanation for their origin. Or maybe it was Moses who was God’s ghost writer. Remember the Ten Commandants.
Presidents haven’t really written their own speeches since at least FDR although some, like Barack Obama, are talented writers. There just isn’t enough time for them to take pen and ink to paper.
I pulled a stunt like this once back when I was twentyfive. It wasn’t a kid that I asked to sign my letter but I felt badly about it afterward.
I was running against Mike Jaros at the time. I had little money to campaign with and letters-to-the-editor cost nothing. I asked an older gentlemen who had contributed to my campaign to put his name on a letter I wrote that was critical of Mike. The letter was published. A few days later the supposed author and I were talking and he told me that Mike had called him up and asked him if he’d really written the letter. The “author” was a sixtyish guy with a faint Norwegian accent and I was a know-it-all, just out of college kid. I have no idea how Mike could have seen through my deception. The old fellow dutifully lied and told Mike he had written the letter. Both of was were pretty sure Mike didn’t believe him for a minute. Although he didn’t say it I could tell that the old Norwegian felt terrible for having stooped to telling a lie.
At the time I was miffed that Mike would be so unreasonable as to confront a letter writer but that was mostly because I felt guilty for putting my ally in the position of telling a fib. Mike was very smart to have confronted the old fellow and frankly I learned a lesson. I can’t recall writing any other such letters and soliciting innocents to submit them under their own names.
I have, however, ghost written a few similar letters over the past quarter century perhaps half a dozen. Usually it was when others less sure of their writing skills asked me to help them. I’ve even made it plain during the Red Plan fight that I would be happy to ghost write letters for others though I have had very few takers. I’ve certainly proof read other people’s letters-to-the-editor prior to submission. The one thing I am not inclined to do is write something for another person to submit that I would not be willing to put my own name on.
I appreciate the motives, if not the self-justifying, of the just exposed ghost writer. No one wants their family members to be subjected to public censure. On the other hand it shouldn’t have been that hard to simply correct the claim that our new swimming pools cost $18 million to build if they only cost $6 million.
