With last week’s Question of the Week, we asked readers whether they planned to vote in the Nov. 8 election. Here are some of the responses we received.
With midterm elections approaching, it’s time to give thought to the best people to lead our country for the next two to six years. Consider that people have various leadership styles.
Some encourage, enlighten and empower people and lead by example. They score “E” for excellent.
Yet some others deceive, discount, dismiss and demean people and lead with dissension and demagoguery. They score “D” for deficient — only one level above “F” for failure.
Which type of leaders do you prefer in your community, in your church and at your workplace? Which type would you want as your children’s teachers, coaches or Scoutmaster? Which type of leaders does our country need in the next two years and the next six years?
Think! Evaluate and compare candidates for public office. And vote Nov. 8.
NEAL SANDERS, M.D.
Johnson City
Using our voices
Yes, we will vote this year for two reasons.
First, as citizens of a democratic republic, we have the privilege and responsibility to participate in that democracy, so we respectfully do. Second, we believe in facts.
We are concerned about current politics more than ever in our over 50 years of voting. Seeing so many citizens ignoring today’s facts concerns us, and seeing so many politicians who are manipulating voters without respect for facts threatens us. These politicians are hiding behind inflation and gas prices as they campaign, ignoring the basic economic fact that no U.S. president or party can control the economy.
World events determine global economies. Today such causal events are COVID disruptions, Russia’s war in Ukraine and OPEC decisions, not Biden and Democrats.
A lot of people claim the 2020 election was stolen, but the fact is that over 60 Republican- and Democrat-led court investigations turned up 0 cases of election-changing fraud.
In addition, the Supreme Court recently refused Trump’s meritless request to hear his case. Immoral leaders and emotional, misled citizens ignoring the proven facts and harboring unwarranted distrust in a proven a secure election is a dangerous breeding ground for our fragile democracy’s decline.
Our founding fathers warned us of such future danger. Historians warn us of such present danger.
So yes, we want our voices to be heard in this letter and in the voting booth. We don’t like current gas and grocery prices, but the economy is not relevant in our voting for who will represent us in Congress and the White House; what is relevant is the real danger of so many election deniers and their supporters becoming our state and federal representatives.
