LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Stow the political rant

Lately, I’ve been reading a lot of angry opinions about the nominees for office of the President of the United States. The entire period leading up to the nominations has been contentious and has left me feeling that I’d rather watch a murder mystery on TV than sit through yet another chapter of uncalled-for nastiness on the part of the candidates. So, these people are off-the-charts rude, temperamental, and have strayed too far from the topics which should have been addressed to inform the voters on the crucial matters and how they would be handled by each candidate. Does that mean the voters have to take up that banner and carry on in a similar manner? STOP! If you have learned anything from the mess of the past debates, now is the time for you, the voter and ultimate decision-maker in this race, to stow the anger, put aside what you “think” you know about each nominee, ignore the “tweets,” and get yourself in check. Grab a piece of paper, or if you don’t have such a thing in the house anymore, fire up the computer; open a two-column document with each nominee having her/his separate column. Then, put in what you feel that nominee can do about such: What would this person do about terrorist threats arising in this country? Is this nominee capable of discussing (listening as well as talking) with heads of state in other countries? Can he/she talk with representatives of either party? Will this person be concerned with the needs of people all over the world (yes, we are a global society, not isolationist — time cannot be turned back to what you consider a better era)? Will this person try to keep U.S. citizens safe in their neighborhoods, as well as in the world? Will the nominee back health care and education needs? You get the idea — ask your own questions, research the answers, if need be. But just ranting about what you won’t do will only put our country in greater jeopardy since you are responsible for making an informed decision on Election Day. And one more thing — I consider “politician” a job title. We expect the person filling that position to do his/her best to fulfill the requirements (i.e., serve the people who put him/her there), just as we would expect someone hired to pack goods for Amazon. Certain skills are necessary for any job, and that includes the job of President of the United States. Working one’s way up to that position gives that person the skills and knowledge to fulfill the position. I personally don’t want to put that Amazon packer in the Oval Office, at least, not until he has earned the right to be there.

Evelyn L. Pearson Camden