Jul 26, 2020 2 min read

Think before you vote

When was the last time it crossed your mind to consider that if an incumbent lost an election, he might not give up the position?

Some time B.T., right? Before Trump? But he says he won’t commit to accepting the election results.

We have lost 144,000 people to COVID-19 infections as of last week. That is 48 times the number who died in the 9/11 attacks, an event we took pretty seriously. Went to war over it, in fact. But Donald Trump seems not to be very concerned. Certainly not concerned enough to take the advice of experts; in fact, he’s taken reporting of cases and deaths out of the purview of the Centers for Disease Control, and cut their funding for testing and assistance while he’s at it. On top of that, he wants to “reopen” everything possible, despite the burgeoning problems extant in the areas which are doing this prematurely. How many more people will be sacrificed to his wish to be reelected?

This fall, we are going to have the most important and difficult election of our lives. We have to decide between someone who has amply shown his inability and unwillingness to do the job of the presidency, and someone with considerable experience in the White House. Because of the virus, many people are going to vote by mail, something Trump, himself, routinely has done. But he doesn’t want us to do that. And in that, too, we have to choose options, because the elections are administered by state and local election boards: It’s really in our hands.

We have to choose between someone who is focused on himself and his interests – golfing comes to mind – and someone who actually understands how the job is supposed to be done, and who has a commitment to the democratic processes on which this country is built.

Think about it. Look at what is actually happening: not what Trump says is happening, but what is actually happening, and what has happened.

Choose accordingly.

Carole McIntyre

Waynesburg{&end}