NYT Aviso: Last Day To Read Frank Rich For Free

The New York Times has decided their Op/Ed columnists are of such merit that we will be willing to pay $49.95 a year for the privilege of continuing to read them daily online. And if we aren't willing…well, the hell with us. We would get a few other perks for ponying up the fifty bucks, but those extras are window dressing. We'll pay, the NYT assumes, because we've gotten in the habit of reading the Op/Ed page and now we'll pay a fee for what used to be free. The NYT has turned out their Op/Age columnists. Call it a Pimp-page fee. By me, the Op/Ed ninnies like Maureen Dowd, John Tierney and Thomas Friedman are no loss. However, Frank Rich, Paul Krugman and Nicholas Kristoff, plus a guest writer here and there might possibly be worth an annual fee of twenty bucks for the package. Or maybe even a $10 annual ala Carte fee. But $50? Not even with Bill Maher thrown in…although…that would sweeten the pot considerably. The fact of the matter is that most bloggers will figure out a way to read the NYT columnists online for free. It's a moral obligation.