The humor associated with politics can be quite entertaining if we allow it. The cute suggestion to “vote early and vote often” is one of my favorites. Of course we know it is just a joke except in places like Chicago where some have been reported to want to take it literally. But, joke or no joke, there are times I would like to vote for more than one of the candidates where there are several qualified individuals running such as a party primary. That ability to vote for two or maybe three people when there are six, seven or even more candidates would make my choice a lot easier and ease my guilty feeling when I can’t support a friend.
A letter to the editor in last week’s Times got my attention because the author was suggesting we learn more about a candidate running for the U. S.
Senate seat from Arkansas.
The letter so impressed me because I had not heard there was a man namedTrevor Drown seeking this seat and the writer of the letter is doing exactly what any of us should do - find someone in whom we believe and help him or her gain name recognition.
That doesn’t have to do with any party affiliation, it is just the right thing to do.
I am not promoting Trevor Drown’s candidacy, but I certainly applaud Ms. Rowe for writing her letter to the newspaper. Trevor Drown’s Web site was listed as www.trevordrown.com.
This is in no way an endorsement of Mr. Drown.
Because of a myriad of computer problems, we have not been able to view his Web site, or for that matter to make sure his Web site address is correct. However, what I do endorse is the letterwriter’s initiative of letting people know her choice and informing the voters of a choice they might otherwise overlook.
All of us have political issues that are important to us and that should affect our willingness to look closely at the promises made by all the candidates.
An example of this in my own assessment of issues comes in the governor’s election. Our current governor (Governor Beebe) has done a good job in every area, but I would like to see him get more involved in the illegal immigration issue, particularly in support of Arizona’s legislation. The governor’s opponent from the Republican party is stressing his personal support on this problem and vows to do more than Governor Beebe if elected. It is going to take a lot more than just that issue to change my mind, but we have several weeks and lots of television commercials, newspaper reports and newinformation on Web sites before November.
We can help each other as well as the candidates of our choice if we share our views with each other. And, it is extremely important to remember we don’t always see the same issue (or candidate) in the same light and we must respect everyone’s opinion. Because there is so much negative publicity about the current president’s programs and so few voters support the congressional leadership according to the polls we are going to be required to work extra hard to get to the truth on each issue. The ball is in our court and we can work to make things better by being informed voters or allow our nation to fail us and the world.
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Editor’s note: Leo Lynch, a native of Benton County has deep roots in northwest Arkansas. He is a retired industrial engineer and former Justice of the Peace. He can be contacted at prtnews@ nwaonline.com.
Opinion, Pages 4 on 08/25/2010