Letters
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- Written by: Tim Williams
Will my vote count? So often voters think it just won’t matter.
I’m a Democrat and an Obama supporter (since before the primaries) but the Hope or Dream he represents – whatever you want to call it – is still far off.
In order to "appear" to have legitimacy and attract essential, mainstream media coverage, candidates conform to a path that appears safe and pleasing to a majority of people, contributors, lobbyists ( not necessarily in that order). In trying to appeal to them all, our candidates end up preserving the status quo.
Hopefully, Obama will continue to offer real hope for change – but, that is not the candidate he appears to be right now. An essential improvement over a Bush or McCain presiduncy, yes, but he and both parties need to be reminded that we want real change. So ...
I encourage you to visit Ralph Nader's web site. www.votenader.com, listen to his interviews, read his message. If you like what you hear – help him, yourself and the country.
Nader would agree with me – we’re not going to "elect" Ralph Nader or risk a McCain win – it is about pulling the two party candidates towards representing the people, real issues and exposing the corrupt, corporate oligarchy that has entrenched our country in debt and looming failures.
I would ONLY vote for Nader in a "SAFE" state, such as California where McCain can’t win – although, given the state of recent affairs, I would warn that could change. I hope Dems and Nader voters will be honest when polled so we’ll know if there is real cause for concern.
Ron Paul supporters should check Nader out, too. Some will find a truer, more tested voice for many of your concerns as well and could make a real statement with your votes.
When you consider "left" or "right" think of a circle, where the "fringes" meet is where we find universal agreement on issues that are only given lip service by "centrists."
But no one has done more to protect the average citizen, the environment and fight corporate corruption than Ralph Nader, So give him a listen, then YOU decide if he is "fringe." See: www.votenader.org/blog/2008/10/04/nader-at-commonwealth-club.
Next cycle I hope we get more – lean, mean, green / Dem and Rep candidates on ballots in areas where two party dissatisfaction is highest. They might run as major party but with real principals and heavy Green/Peace and Freedom participation or as an alternative where there is no challenger from the major party opposition – gathering opposition votes and attracting defectors from the entrenched party. If successful, these representatives could form the core of a more powerful green caucus within the two parties, that transcends the two parties and exposes their corruption.
So, while we are offering our country HOPE with our support for Obama, consider supporting real change and ACTION with your vote for Nader/Gonzales!
This year, consider making YOUR VOTE COUNT – FOR A CHANGE!
Tim Williams lives in Clearlake.
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- Written by: Gloria Hovde
These are lies. Churches are NOT involved. The right for a person to marry the person he or she loves is a civil right currently guaranteed by California law. Proposition 8 seeks to eliminate this civil right.
Don’t believe these lies! Vote NO on this mean-spirited attack on California families.
Gloria Hovde lives in Lower Lake.
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- Written by: Frieda Camotta
Under California law, there is no right to develop. It is a privilege. This can be found in case law, specifically, Trent Meredith, Inc. v. City of Oxnard 114 Cal. App. 3d 317 (1981) as well as several other court decisions.
Frieda Camotta is a past District 1 representative on the Lake County Planning Commission. She lives in Hidden Valley Lake.
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- Written by: Jim Comstock
For too long, Supervisor Robey has ignored the needs of the First District. Now, just like the politicians in Sacramento and Washington D.C., Mr. Robey is refusing to take responsibility for his failed record.
Unemployment in Lake County is now approaching 10 percent. What has Mr. Robey done to attract new jobs to South County? In a word, he's done NOTHING.
Many roads in the South County are badly in need of repair but Mr. Robey has been AWOL in fighting for the safety concerns of local residents.
Supervisor Robey says we should "follow the money." Guess what? The big developer money leads right back to Mr. Robey himself. Over the past 12 years, he has taken thousands of dollars from developers – including an all-expenses-paid vacation to Hawaii in January of 2002 that was NEVER reported on his statements of economic interest.
Mr. Robey's hand-picked successor offers another four years of business as usual on the Board of Supervisors. I offer independent leadership that will actively address the concerns of our communities and puts the needs of the South County first.
The people of the South County deserve better than four more years of neglect. Our county government is broken and it's time for a change!
Middletown resident Jim Comstock is running for Robey's District 1 supervisorial seat.
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