It’s not too late

We are on the dawn of the Nov. 4 elections, but even if they were still many weeks away, it would still be too late to vote. Anyway, polling booths are very public places and the danger of catching Ebola could be very high. Plus, random “lone wolf” terrorists are probably lying in wait.
If you prefer some other kind of conspiracy theory, then don’t forget the U.S. Supreme Court already has negated your piddly little vote with its Citizens United ruling allowing billionaires to anonymously “buy” any election they want.
It’s too late. Obamacare is going to ruin our nation’s economy anyway (just ask the Republicans in Congress) and we only have a few more decades before Climate Change burns or floods us away. (Ask Al Gore).
It’s getting easier all the time to be a cynic. In fact, it’s too easy. Can you imagine what the next presidential election in just two years from now will look like? Our country once elected two Roosevelts, a Lincoln and a Kennedy. Now we might have to choose between another Bush or another Clinton.
Why does it seem too late and futile to try to be a good citizen and do the right thing? Because so many elections are being run entirely on fear and hate, that’s why. There’s a TV ad that shows California Gov. Jerry Brown drowning children. It’s paid for by his opponent. A candidate in another state used footage of the recent beheading of a U.S. journalist to claim her opponent was “soft” on terrorism.
Imagine if we elected local school trustees or city council candidates that way? What if we resorted to scare tactics about deaths or falling buildings to support votes for our junior college, libraries or hospital? If that ever happens in our local elections, then it will truly be too late.
But, thank goodness, it is not too late to vote in an honest, positive and meaningful election. In the Healdsburg City Council election we get to elect two candidates we know as neighbors and friends. When they get elected we will expect them to keep our city in good financial shape and fund our local police and fire protection services the best they can. The candidates are Jeff Civian, Eric Ziedrich, Tim Meinken and Brigette Mansell.
Healdsburg voters also will say yes or no for the city to continue a fluoridation program in city water, first started over 60 years ago. The Healdsburg Tribune urges all voters to say yes and vote for Measure P. An overwhelming majority of local and national dental experts support municipal fluoridation as a sound dental health program.
It is also not too late for Healdsburg voters to support Measure M for improvements and extended hours for our local library. Measure M would add a one-eight of a cent to the sales tax to help restore services and library staff cut during the recent Recession.
The biggest voter question next Tuesday (Nov. 4) is who will be the North County’s new representative on the county Board of Supervisors. There is a very close race between James Gore and Deb Fudge. Almost $1 million is being spent in this race to replace Supervisor Mike McGuire who is moving up to the State Senate if he wins on Tuesday.
It is not too late for Healdsburg voters to tell the rest of Sonoma County what kind of voice they want at the county seat of power. Continued local road repairs, an effective drought plan, tax and budget controls and reliable support for Healdsburg projects are all on the agenda.
Maybe it’s too late elsewhere, but we think Healdsburg voters know better.
— Rollie Atkinson