These calls to action suggest that the liberality of the government is getting so out of hand that if the American people don’t take a stand, conditions in the country will continue following the downward pattern that they currently are. In ‘Freedom Lost,” an article about new legislation restricting the freedom of the American public, Reilly writes, ” We Americans deed to stop this nanny state stuff,” referring to how Americans do not provide any resistance to the new laws.
This call to action suggests that it is Americans’ fault that laws hurting their own freedom are being passed, and as such it is up to them to find a solution to this problem. Reilly calls the audience to action in ” The Big Con” as well. The first sentence of the editorial is simply, ” Please listen up,” immediately drawing the readers in, as well as suggesting the severity of what is to follow. Reality’s calls to action, like those mound in ” Freedom Lost” and ” The Big Con,” unite the audience for his cause, and provide a degree of reader involvement in the editorials as well.
Aside from addressing the audience through blame and calls to action, Reilly often appeals to the logic of his readers. These appeals frequently include statistics, such as in ” The Big Con” when he writes, ” The American taxpayer will fork over about $571 billion to pay for educating children”, and ” the Country spends close to $16, 000 per student every year On primary wrought collegeeducation,” later stating that this is ” the highest per-students spending rate in the world. By including indisputable facts such as these, Reilly establishes the fact that there is logic behind his argument, rather than him just speaking his mind. A similar appeal can be found in ” Just Say Yes” that condemns the liberal American government. He writes, ” Almost 30 million Americans [are] currently categorized as ‘substance abusers’,” this large number demonstrating how poorly the American government is dealing tit illegal drug users. A third example of an Reilly establishing the logical credibility of his argument appears in ” Freedom Lost”.
On the topic of state governments being far too liberal with their passage of new legislation, Reilly writes, ” In California, Gob. Jerry Brown has signed into law an astounding 876 new mandates,” and follows this with examples of what the laws prohibit citizens from doing. Examples such as these prove that there is logical ground on which Reality’s arguments are based on, making it clear hat his points are at least partially valid when supported with logic.
Bill Reilly is one of the most widely recognized conservative columnists in America today, voicing his opinion in various forms of media, from television tosocial mediato editorials and more. His implementation of rhetorical devices in his writing leads to a unique tone that some find appealing, and others find offensive. Regardless of whether one favors or opposes Reality’s views, it is undeniable that he is adept at writing editorials that will incite heated political discussion.
