Re: Voting is temporarily passe
It doesn’t take a lot of imagination to draw a parallel between what is happening to voting in Washington
and our elected Otsego Board of Education.
When any election occurs one side will win and the other will lose. The winner will be elected because
their philosophy was most favored at that time. Of course, conditions change, and there may need to be
an adjustment of the original philosophy. However, when the elected officials ultimately reach a
decision that differs from their constituents’ wishes, and they know if a vote is allowed their position
will be defeated, the only fair thing to do is vote again.
In other words, "You can’t expect us to abide by what you were told five years ago" is not an
acceptable explanation. Nor is "We’re going to have the most transparent administration in
history."
The strategy today by our elected officials is to impose their wishes without allowing an up or down
vote, especially when they expect to lose.
These tactics accomplish a short term goal, but in the process, alienate the majority electorate that
would have prevailed if a vote had been held. Right now this majority feels disenfranchised. Voting
sometime in the future will no longer be passe.
The television news this morning indicated that it will probably take 15 years for Ohio to regain the
employment that existed in 2007.
Jack Dawson
Grand Rapids