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Weekly Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country
of West Texas
Opinion
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Squarely Pegged
By Peggy McCracken
Make informed choice
before marking ballot
For the first time since I donned a reporter’s hat, I have studied the voter’s guide, made up my mind who to vote for, and voted early.
When it was my job to write about the candidates, I felt it best not to form an opinion until I stepped inside the voting booth. I made a few snap decisions there that I regretted later.
And I’m not so sure I made the right choices this time. None of us has a crystal ball that can forecast what will happen once a candidate becomes an incumbent. All we can do is study the issues and pick the person who takes a stand we can support.
After all, the government is us. We have to decide how we want our city, county, state and nation to operate and elect people who will do it our way.
Reading a candidate’s platform or viewing a report on border security gives me the heebie jeebies. Is the incumbent governor really that dishonest? Is it possible to stop the influx of terrorists, drug smugglers and wannabe Americans? Do I want the Texas Rangers to become our border police?
These questions are too much for this Grandma to answer. And I am not sure that any Grandma, tough or not, has the answer.
Closer to home, a big issue in the county judge race that I haven’t heard anybody talk about is the future of our prisons. Do we have a candidate who can handle the big business those bed-and-breakfasts have become? What started out two decades ago as a little extra income has become a do-or-die industry for a county that has lost its tax base.
Concerning judges, it’s becoming more and more important to choose people who believe in our constitution and don’t try to change it from the bench. Party labels don’t mean much in a judge’s race, but how many of us get to know the candidates? Sometimes I skip over those races rather than risk voting for a person who would do more harm than good on the bench.
One more week and this election will be behind us. Rhetoric will be put on the shelf, and sleeves will be rolled up to get to work fulfilling promises.
Let’s hope and pray that the choices we made prove to be the best for all.
“Can unjust leaders claim that God is on their side-leaders who permit injustice by their laws?” Psalm 94:20, New Living Translation
EDITOR’S NOTE: Peggy McCracken is Enterprise business manager. Contact her at peg2@pecos.net
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Pecos Enterprise
York M. "Smokey" Briggs, Publisher
324 S. Cedar St., Pecos, TX 79772
Phone 432-445-5475, FAX 432-445-4321
e-mail news@pecos.net
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