Open letter to Oakwood voters
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
As election day approaches there are many citizens who find themselves in a quandary: they don’t know who they’re going to vote for. Perhaps they have had other, more pressing personal issues to deal with these last few months. Perhaps they are simply not that interested in politics. Or, maybe, they just find the 24 hour-a-day, 7 day-a-week barrage of political ads, talking heads, horse-race analysts and editorials insufferable. For impassioned partisans (full disclosure: I am an Obama supporter) and political junkies (one of those too) this can seem almost incomprehensible, but the fact is, it’s understandable. For those of you who remain undecided I offer the following points for your consideration:
1. The Republican Party has controlled both the White House and the Congress for six of the last eight years. They have brought us to two wars, one in Afghanistan; underfunded and failing. The other, Iraq; a quagmire of immense and ongoing loss, both in blood and treasure.
2. Republican antipathy toward oversight and regulation, combined with a fanatical belief in the magical powers of an unfettered free market are largely responsible for the current economic crisis. At the time of this writing, it is uncertain what congressional leaders will do to rescue the system, but one thing is certain: it is the taxpayer who will foot the bill for the unchecked greed of Wall Street.
3. Senator John McCain, a Republican with a largely distinguished career in the U.S. Senate and an American hero for his valor during the Vietnam War, cannot escape the fact that he has stood by George Bush and supported his failed policies 90 per
cent of the time.
4. John McCain has run a dishonorable campaign by any objective measure. He has smeared his opponent with lies. He has questioned not only Barack Obama’s patriotism, but by extension, all who would disagree with Senator McCain. He has displayed an erratic, fly-by-the-seat of his pants, gambler’s mentality in his campaign tactics - behavior that will not serve this country well in the difficult times ahead. Finally, he has chosen as his running mate, Sarah Palin. The Governor of Alaska, charming and skilled though she may be in many respects, is clearly out of her league. Honest brokers on the left and the right agree: she is absolutely not qualified to serve as Vice-President. Her lack of preparedness, judgment and experience are doubly dangerous as she will be serving the oldest president in the history of the country.
5. Barack Obama is a moderate, thoughtful, serious and reflective man. Qualities that have been sorely lacking in our governance and our politics for a long time. He does not have the most experience in every area of presidential responsibility, but no one does. What he does have is sound judgment, a keen intelligence, invaluable state and federal level expertise and a proven ability to work with people across the political spectrum.
Barack Obama’s candidacy and this election represent a turning point in the history of this country. As in 1932, the nation has hit a wall. We need a new deal and I therefore urge you to consider seriously a vote for a change; a vote for Barack Obama.
Glen Cebulash
Citizen
Bring back the ropes
In response to concerned residents of Oak Knoll Drive, we also are concerned residents - of Hathaway Road and Peach Orchard Avenue. This junction has one of the only two 4-way stops along the length of Hathaway Road and we notice the almost-every-day occurrence of speeding through or rolling stops.
Indeed, speeding in Oakwood has seemed to be a problem since the early 1900’s and one Walter Creager, Safety Officer in those days (among other duties), found a solution to the problem by stretching ropes across the roads
to slow traffic down! This is quoted from the wonderful book - Oakwood “From Acorn to Oak Tree”. Probably not a good remedy for today - but maybe a large STOP painted on the roads at the appropriate junctions may get drivers’ attention.
Hopefully, writing letters to the Oakwood Register might bring this problem to the attention of offending drivers and perhaps end the dangerous practice of ignoring stop signs.
Sandra Moore
Peach Orchard Avenue
RE: Campaign sign civil war
Mr. Schmitz,
Welcome to Ohio. However, I suggest you pay closer attention to what is happening in this state before you make your blanket misjudgements. I have had (Democrat) campaign signs stolen from my yard, I have been nearly driven off the road because a right-wing so-called patriot didn’t like my bumper stickers. Here in Ohio, sometimes I see more OSU banners than flags, does that mean Buckeye fans are not patriotic? John McCain didn’t wear a flag pin during the last debate. Does that mean he is not a patriot? Perhaps in your narrow view. There are idiots and patriots on both sides. If you’re having trouble figuring that out, perhaps you should return to California.
James McQuinn
Oakwood resident since 1995
McCain is person for president
On reflection, the Democratic administration of William Jefferson Clinton has ruined the United States for the last sixteen years. He destroyed the American economy by spending a very large reserve of federal money to be re-elected (billion of dollars that had accumulated but never spent by any president since Harry Truman) and ignoring the world while in the White House. For the first time brought the Presidency of the United States of American to the level of two bit dictator with his perverted actions in the White House. He caused 9/11 by relaxing the immigration regulation and suppressing the FBI investigation of the 9/11 murders.
I am an American citizen with a lifelong John Kennedy Democratic party affiliation. It would seem to me that in these turbulent United States and global times we need a president who understands and is respected by his country men and world leaders as an intelligent experienced leader with a full understanding of the complexities of foreign policy and the economy, but is also able to use his experience and skill to make sensible decisions.
From what I have read and seen, John McCain displays all these attributes. In the many positions he has held, he has shown himself to be informed and a leader who utilizes the perspective of years of experience. In today’s world, we need a person of principles regardless of the consequences. We need a person who has shown over and over again the he has principles and convictions.
In contrast Barack Obama has none of these qualifications and certainly no real experience. He stands for change but chose a vice president, in Joe Biden who is know as mister insider in Washington. Biden is also champion of the credit card industry (i.e. financial institutions).
He is a totally under-qualified, dogmatic, scheming and manipulative individual. His qualifications are slim as a community organizer, an absent state representative and an absent Senator. His scheming is amazing, Watch closely how he stops before responding to each question in the debate. He stops. What he says is not from his heart but from a script. He does not speak spontaneously. What he feels and really wants to say is completely unknown.
As a Democrat I must vote for John McCain and Sarah Palin as the true leaders for change.
James A. Broz
Oakwood
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October 7, 2008
Volume 17, No. 41
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