Disturbed By
'Negative' Fliers

While I have voted in most every election since I have become eligible to vote, I have not been actively involved in any campaign for longer than I care to remember; that is, until this year. I was moved to action by what I saw as negative campaigning happening right in my small town of Bethel.

No respectable citizen would choose to allow active child abusers to roam the streets. Nor would they vote to raise taxes and health costs unless there was good reason. To suggest otherwise is a distortion of truth. I was angered by the distorted mailings of Neal Fox and thus I called Sandy Haas and offered to help.

Holding a sign outside the polling place in Stockbridge was an eye opener for me and helps explain why Sandy won with such a large margin. While she had local people outside the polls, the Fox supporters were from towns an hour or more away. Voters I met said they had spoken with Sandy when she took the time to go to every house in her district. Yet they did not have a clue what Neal looked like.

We still have the blessing of being able to speak with our politicians personally, and Sandy made this, rather than distorted mailings, a priority in her campaign. I encourage people to take advantage of our ability to speak with our politicians. If you have questions or concerns about something such as the ancient roads or gas tax legislation, contact your state rep long before the next election. Voice your concerns to them in person and judge how they listen. This way we can avoid negative politics.

I propose a motto for future elections; "Facts, not fiction or fear." If this had been followed on the national level we could have saved the lives of thousands in Iraq. I thank all of you who ran or voted for clean, factual campaigns.

Mary Anderson

Bethel