Feeding frenzy

Feeding frenzy

Open up wide and prepare to be fed the next president of the United States. Why? Because you are affiliated with the most influential and powerful voting bloc in America. It’s you the media and politicians pander to. It’s your vote that decides elections.

You take many forms. You are the straight-partyline voter. The party-over-person voter. The voter who truly believes one party cares more than the other. You are the “Rock the Vote” voter. The “he sounds and looks presidential” voter. The “I could sit down and have a beer with him” voter. You vote for the candidate that is supported by your favorite movie star. Your research consists of sound bites, and TV commercials at best. You are moved by slogans such as “Compassionate Conservatism” and “Change We Can Believe In.”

Some argue that your lack of knowledge and comprehension of politics somehow disqualifies you from exercising your constitutional right. What do they expect from you? You are busy earning a living, raising a family, and enjoying the fruits of your labor. Where do they think you are going to find the time to read up on current issues? Do they really expect you to remember what you learned in middle school about how the government works? Why in the world would you waste your valuable time trying to figure out which candidate shares your vision of America when the media is willing to do all the hard work and tell you who to vote for?

Don’t let any of this discourage you. Stay strong. Keep showing up on election day because every vote counts, especially yours. As long as you do, you will be handsomely rewarded with the government you deserve.

While all this may sound condescending, I write from experience. Some of the examples I offered once motivated my decisions.

Now, for the first time, I have placed the name of the candidate I support on the rear window of my vehicle hoping to persuade the vote of anyone who sees it.

Bill Hegarty, Poland

Justice over mercy

I am appalled, and I’m sure that many agree with me, that some people actually believed that Scott Kennedy should get “favorable consideration” from his sentencing judge.

The man pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography. He had pictures of children, some engaging in sex acts, on his computer. Nineteen victims have been identified. How would they get justice if he got “mercy” for having “tripped up for the first time in his life.”

A “good and decent man” doesn’t possess pornographic pictures of little kids. In my opinion, if he had those pictures, what else was he capable of? So he contributed to charities and his community. Maybe it was his guilt that was responsible for those acts. So he has been “a role model.” There is no excuse, no possible justification for what he did and no justification for “leniency.” He should pay for his crime.

Kathy Cramer, Boardman

Editor’s note: This letter was written before Kennedy was sentenced Friday to 51 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to possessing child pornography.