I read the Mountain Home News editorial titled “Here’s Our Kiss of Death” in the May 19th 2010 edition with much sadness. This is the edition where they make their political endorsements for the May 25th Primary Election. Why was I saddened? Because they offer their opinion of candidates and in some cases, I’m sure they are informed and educated opinions. But others are just plain personal opinions. The part that saddens me the most is some people in Mountain Home and Elmore County will whip out this editorial on election day and vote just like the newspaper wants them to vote. Very Sad.
So how should Joe and Jane Six Pack decide who to vote for in the coming Idaho Primary Election and in November’s General Election? I’d like to say we should make educated decisions based on the candidates platform and what they say they will do for us. To me, voting for a political candidate should be similar to buying a cantaloupe or a loaf of bread.
Kind of like a “Grocery Candidate”?
While I wouldn’t ever consider squeezing or smelling a political candidate, I should be able to at least see and hear the local candidates IN PERSON. After all, you wouldn’t buy a cantaloupe that was wrapped up in a black bag or a loaf of bread that was shoved inside a cardboard box would you? Then why would you “buy” a local candidate who won’t bother spending a few nights out in Mountain Home talking with you. I’m sure all of our candidates are busy folks and it might be difficult to get out to meet with the public. But that’s what separates the “stale and moldy bread inside a cardboard box candidate” from a “fresh and worthy candidate”, right? One candidate you take out to the trash can the next night and the other is appreciated and bought time and again. Maybe “bought” isn’t the right word but you get my drift.
Who Are These People?
Below is a list of “no show” local folks hoping and in some cases expecting to get your vote. What do you know about these people? For all I know, one could be an alien from the planet of Alderaan. Heck, I’ve heard stories from the Chicago political scene where some active voters have been dead for years. Couldn’t it be just as easy to believe one of our local political candidates has been dead for the last ten months or even longer? How the heck am I to know? The way I see it, if you don’t take the time to present yourself then you are never ever going to get my vote. And if you think about it…who are “the board of editors” The Mountain Home News so proudly presents as someone we might want to listen to?
Albert Hofer
Henry Hibbert
Tim Corder
Marla S. Lawson
Rich Wills
Pete Nielsen
Jerry Rost
Larry Rose
Mark Russell
Marsa Plummer
Ronald Fisher
Rose Plympton
Connie Cruser
Wesley Wootan
It’s Too Late Now?
I suspect it’s too late to get the above candidates to set up shop in Mountain Home for a few hours for a pre-primary “meet and greet-a-thon”. But with the November 2010 General Election in less than 6 month, the Primary winners can expect to get at least a few letters from me inviting them to speak right here in Mountain Home.
The candidates that accept my invitation can expect to get one thing…my undivided attention. If I like what I hear, you can be sure I will vote for you. If you show up and your opponent does not show up, you’ll have a better than 75% chance of getting my vote just because I know your melons are fresh you care.
Thanks for visiting and commenting on this story.
Tim Bondy
The Bondyweb.Com author