NEWSPAPERS ARE WATCHDOGS OF PUBLIC TRUST

How much do you spend on your car for repairs a year? More than $900? That doesn't sound like much money for a fleet -- nearly 100 vehicles in stop-and-go city traffic -- operated by the St. Louis Housing Authority. But a closer look at the authority's $313,553 repair bills for the last 3 1/2 years shows a few things that ought to make anyone with oversight blink a few times.

For example, one vehicle had 19 brake jobs in 30 months. Another had three semiannual inspections in just five days.

The owner of the repair shop with the housing authority's repair contract says it only did what the agency asked for -- including repairs on three vehicles that had already been junked.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch did what newspapers have been doing for a long time: uncovering government waste and abuse. It is appropriate that pressure for government accountability should follow the disclosure of such a vagrant display of frittering away taxpayers' money.

The Southeast Missourian tries to be vigilant regarding governmental operations. In general, taxpayers in our area can take pride in the stewardship of their dollars by elected officials. However, this newspaper is always interested in hearing from citizens who believe government is undermining the moral or constitutional authority with which officials have been entrusted.