Candidates, save your trinkets

Candidates, save your trinkets

Well, election day 2011 has come and gone and my wife and I have successfully run the “gauntlet” again. “What gauntlet?” you ask. The one where voters are handed pencils, notepads and brochures with the candidates name plastered all over them. Do you really think you are going to influence my vote with a pencil?

Before each election, my wife and I review the candidates and the issues. We know how we are going to vote before we ever get into the car to go to the voting booth. I’ve got enough pencils to last me a lifetime. Enough notepads to rewrite ‘Gone With The Wind’ and what am I supposed to do with another brochure? Throw it away with the others I have read and studied.

We vote based on what is the best choice for our community, state and nation. Not on what insignificant dime store item is thrust into our hand.

If one of these items influence your vote, do the rest of us a favor and just stay home.

Now if you are passing out an American flag lapel pin to show your candidate is a true American, I will take it. If you are passing out a Bible to show your candidate believes in God, I’ll take it. Who knows, it may influence my vote. But chances are good, that I was already going to vote for him or her ,because we already did our homework.

The veterans, whom we honor this month, did not serve and die for this country for a lousy pencil.

Ted Montgomery, Poland

Issue 2 failed; so now what?

There’s an old saying “Watch what you ask for, you may get it.” Yes the vote on Issue 2 is over. The verdict was convincing. But is this the end of the issue or the beginning of new issues? Remember, the state budget has been set and approved. It contains many cuts in money returned to local governing authorities. The budget was based on certain savings by the changes in S.B. 5.

Now what happens? How are these cuts to be handled since S.B. 5 was rejected? Will it mean 1) increased taxes, 2) more concessions by workers, 3) additional layoffs of employees, 4) reduction in services, 5) lower wages, 6) closing of more businesses — or a little bit of all of the above? Some problems may have been solved. Some remain. How many new ones are to come? Maybe the basic problem is satisfying all the people all the time.

Where are we going to go for help to solve our problems?

We can’t go to the governor. He says he has tried and been reversed. We can’t go to the employer. He says he has expenses he can’t pay for now. We can’t go to the employees. They say they have given back enough. We can’t go to the retirees. They say they have to decide between milk or medicine right now.

And please don’t come to me — I’m down to my last six pack.

Gordon Mitchell, Boardman

Here’s an idea for holiday cheer

The holiday season would appear to be in full swing given the tone of many current commercials. That means that we are in the midst of the greatest buying season of the year.

That being the case, I would like to suggest that we take full advantage of this opportunity to help ourselves, our neighbors and our local and national economies. As we contemplate our gift lists, it would be extremely smart for us to give high priority to buying products labeled “Made in the USA.” If the law of supply and demand is true, demand for American-made products should do more to create jobs than all the tax cuts, stimulus packages and trade agreements combined.

Given the current state of things, this will be difficult but not impossible. It may mean spending a little more or selecting an alternate gift. The reward of this effort could be huge for us both locally and nationally. This may also be the best and easiest solution for our economic woes, as it requires no consensus of our major political parties, who can’t seem to agree on much of anything. This is our best opportunity to take it out of their hands and help ourselves.

If this works, it should leave both parties red-faced. If we don’t do this, we need to quit complaining about them.

Just one more afterthought. My wife and I have also been able to find a number of nice gifts made right here in Ohio.

Mike Halchuck, Canfield.