We the people …’need to do something
To the editor:
I certainly agree with Mr. Messina (Eagle 9/10/14) – something needs to be done about how voters qualify their candidates. Right now we seem to be using a voting process closely resembling the way we voted for the Honorary Mayor of Matlacha or St. James City – pickle jars with candidate photos placed in various shops and restaurants in the area. Voters place coins in the jars and the candidate with the most pennies wins.
“We the people” need to do something, but I don’t know exactly what that “something” is. The politicians in office are the same politicians that make the rules. The foxes have been in the chicken coups for too long but I don’t know how to get them out. Or, if we got them out, how do we identify the other foxes trying to get in? Maybe someone clever enough can take a page from Speaker John Boehner’s book and also sue Congress for gross inaction and the Supreme Court for questionable or inappropriate decisions.
I just know that something needs to be done to stop Washington and state governments from ignoring the voice of the everyday American citizen. We can vote out all the incumbents but I’m afraid we’d run the risk of throwing out some of the babies with the bathwater. We should demand that negative ad campaigns be replaced with verifiable candidate accomplishments and position statements. Negativity doesn’t educate a voter and, in my mind, says more about the sponsor of the ad than the target. We could demand that the media report more on facts and less on sensational political sound bites. This is not a new problem but we are living in a much different and more complex nation and dangerous world. Candidates really need to demonstrate their qualifications for the office they seek.
“We the people” are the ones responsible for our current political situation and “we the people” need to fix it. Don’t vote a straight ticket, vote for the individual that convinces you they are qualified for the job and have straight answers to your questions. Learn what they plan to do for the economy, unemployment, immigration, campaign finance reform and other issues pertinent to the office they seek. Talk to your friends and neighbors and get their opinions. Then, make an informed vote or it will always be about the number of pennies in the jar.
Ronald Lueth