At first glance you might think that I am suggesting you don a bathing suit, travel to your favorite beach or lake, and dive in. That would be more refreshing than what is coming up in the next couple of months, especially here in Lake Orion.
Yes, it’s primary election time in August and then a complete election in November that has national implications. Lets concentrate for the time being on Lake Orion.
The recent issue of The Lake Orion Review has a front page column on the school sinking fund proposal and there are also “letters to the editor” about several candidates running for office and of course comments about the sinking fund. Seems the usual suspects are writing letters again to the editor trying to sway us to their suggestion and opinion. Most of the time these letters are self-serving and I say that from someone (myself) who has engaged in a similar fashion come election time. This time I plan to stay out of the fray with a candidate or issue selection because my opinion should not be a bellwether for other voters. People should do research on their own and not be unduly influenced by people who either inflate the accomplishments of a candidate or just out of vindictiveness provide information that is simply untrue.
Some of the endorsements are just silly anyway. Heck, we had one in last week’s for a candidate who was a good geometry student in school. Maybe knowing the difference between an isosceles triangle and a rhombus is a great class accomplishment but how that translates to politics escapes me.
Then we have a candidate who will supposedly lower taxes – doesn’t everyone propose to do that. And of course there are other exhortations about the sinking fund with a lot of numbers and calculations that maybe only the aforementioned geometry student can decipher.
My point is – do your own research. Find out what each candidate has accomplished. What does he or she plan to do in the first ninety days? How are they differentiated from other candidates? And what is their educational and work place credentials? In so far as the millages, read all the details and see if the renewal or the increase parallels your own financial status. Do you want to continue a millage or increase it? Your call. Just don’t vote for a familiar name or a name that sounds impressive. Be your own person and be skeptical of all the letters to the editor you will see in the various papers. And by all means, don’t listen to anything I have to say.
Bill Kalmar
Lake Orion resident
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I guess, according to the wordsmith Bill Kalmar in his letter published on July 7, 2016 I am one of those “self-serving” and “usual suspects.” Because, I am one of the guilty in having written one of those letters to the editor for a candidate that Bill Kalmar found disturbingly lacking due to not matching his expected expressions of exhortations and extolling criteria.
If Bill Kalmar had decided to not get into a candidate support letter writing fray this past election or for any other future elections that is his free will choice.
With others (as well as myself) who have chosen to freely exercise their 1st Amendment protected rights to express themselves in writing letters to the editor for the candidates of their choice or for any other reasons … I say, “Good on you”and “Have at it. ” Do not allow anyone to stifle, attempt to prohibit or chill the ardor of your natural free speech rights and protections.
Please convey the disturbing information to Bill that I once again wrote a letter sharing my personal viewpoints and suggestions that probably and most likely did not match or meet his criteria.