1 + 1 only equals 2 if each 1 has its own article!

"The Issue" statement for an editorial in this morning's The Birmingham News caught my eye. Here is what it said:

An investment banker and lobbyist ought to pay at least $5.5 million in restitution for their part in a scheme that cost the citizens of Jefferson County dearly.

Whoops! I happen to know that the investment banker is ONE person and the lobbyist is a SEPARATE person. There is also the clue that the writer used the word "their" to refer to the part in the scheme. As written, this sentence makes it sound as if ONE person (who is both a banker and a lobbyist) should be making restitution to the county. The sentence should be written as follows:

An investment banker and a lobbyist ought to pay at least $5.5 million in restitution for their part in a scheme that cost the citizens of Jefferson county dearly.

BONUS POINT: Remember that the correct format for writing millions and billions of dollars is to put the dollar sign BEFORE the numerals and the word "million" or "billion" AFTER the numerals (as above).

I certainly hope someone figures out the sewer mess scheme soon so that Jefferson County can retrieve its dignity and its solvency.