As another political season comes upon us the campaign signs of all sizes, shapes, colors and construction are appearing everywhere. Personally I HATE POLITICAL SIGNS.
Before I go any further let me say that this is not directed at any candidate and should not be considered either an endorsement or criticism of any candidate. The use of political signs is a long time practice and one that I suspect will unfortunately continue.
As I drive through our Parish, everywhere I look there is a political sign or two or ten. I am told West Feliciana is dependant upon tourism that is driven by the natural beauty and history of the Parish, but every other year the Parish is littered with these political signs. They are nailed to trees, stood with fence posts or propped just about everywhere. They come in all shapes, sizes and colors, some are homemade, some are silk screened, some are professional made while most are homemade, some are new while many have seen a previous race, but all are an eyesore and in my opinion serve no purpose what so ever.
What is the purpose of a political sign? To tell people who is running? I think everyone knows. To tell people whom someone is going to vote for? Well, I don’t care who you are going to vote for and I see places that have all of the candidates’ signs in their yard. Is it a race to see who has the most signs? My point is if you are going to vote for someone just because he or she has the most signs, or the prettiest signs, your favorite color on their sign, or what ever reason associated with a sign then I don’t think you should be allowed to vote. YOU ARE AN IDIOT. That sign doesn’t tell you what that candidate thinks, will do, will not do, what makes them qualified to hold the office.
My challenge to the candidates both incumbents and challengers, is to spend your money on advertising that tells me what you will do if elected, what you have done that makes you qualified, what you have done if you’re the incumbent or what you would change if you’re the challenger. Tell me something about you and your campaign, preferably in person but if not great in print or the Internet so we can refer back to it later or via radio or television. Give us something to base our very important decisions on. We are electing the people who will assess our taxes, enforce our laws, keep our public records, and most importantly spend our tax dollars. You are applying for a job. Tell me why you should get it.
My challenge to my fellow voters is to hold these candidates accountable. Tell them you don’t want a sign. Tell them you want to know what they are going to do to make the office better and how they are going to spend your money.
Remember what Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “… be judged by the content of the their character…” That sign does not tell you about their character or their vision for the future. You get that from asking questions, listening to their opinions and finding out what is going on. You have to decide are you happy with what is going on or do you think it needs to change. You can’t do this by looking at a sign.
Do you Agree or Disagree. Send your reply.
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