POLITICAL POLLS
Educate yourself first,
shun biased samplings
A number of polls will be conducted, and their results reported between now and Election Day.
Question these polls. Long before “Dewey defeats Truman” became a headline, polls (and the journalists who write about them) have been subject to margins of error, invalid sampling and bias. Recall that the majority of local news sources predicted a close race for T-SPLOST — yet T-SPLOST lost.
This should beg the question as to who or what controlled the polling and the reporting. If you educate yourself as best you can and make a choice, polls should have no effect on you. If you are swayed by polls, and make ballot choices based on the popular results of a questionnaire, please stay home in November.
KATHY WILLIAMS, DUNWOODY
CANDIDATES SPAR
Civility was lacking in
Biden’s debate tactics
All the discussions regarding Vice President Joe Biden’s recent debate machinations miss a very important point. The smirks, grins, and constant interruptions were distracting and rude (especially in contrast to Paul Ryan’s sober demeanor and focus on the serious issues confronting our country). A more important point for voters to remember would be that we now have (and will likely continue to have) divided government for decades to come.
If the two parties are ever going to come together to craft meaningful legislation to solve the critical problems facing our country, there will need to be an atmosphere of serious, mature, and reasonable discussion without the type of histrionics Mr. Biden exhibited. An open-minded evaluation concerning which participant in the vice-presidential debate exhibited a style most likely to encourage reasonable discourse in the future negotiations with the opposite party might make one appreciate the importance of civility.
ERIC SANDBERG, ATLANTA
Moral crisis threatens
U.S. religious freedom
We need more “G.I. Joes” in the White House - not “Joker Joes” like the one we saw in Vice President Biden during the vice-presidential debate.
Biden’s performance in the face of a failing economy and an internal moral crisis that threatens the very foundation of religious freedom in America was sadly typical of what we the people have come to expect from the Obama administration.
While claiming to be a devout Catholic and opponent of abortion, Biden asserted that he could not “impose” his religious views on others. This is tantamount to living a double life. Even the “Average Joe” knows that every civil law passed is, in fact, an imposition on someone.
We need to get rid of the jokers in the White House who sit by and fiddle, while America burns. November is the time to do it.
TED HANES, ATLANTA
CAMPAIGN FUNDING
What debt? Millions
going toward elections
How amazing to continue to listen to just how many millions upon millions of dollars each presidential candidate is raising. When you hear of $50,000-a plate dinners, I have to wonder who can afford such a luxury.
It baffles me to read and hear of all this money being thrown at the politicians, while both candidates are preaching about how much debt this country is in, and how they are for the middle class. If we count up all that was raised for the campaigns over the past several months (as well as continued fundraising), we could no doubt help pay to increase teacher salaries, send children to college, help the returning veterans and their families, and so many other justified causes.
BRUCE CODRINGTON, ROSWELL
