I believe in a free press. I also believe in fair and unprejudiced reporting. Having a picture of Barack Obama only on the cover of your Oct. 30th edition with the headline "Vote!" leads me to believe you want us to vote for Obama. Fine—but is that fair and unprejudiced? Just because you are suggesting I vote for Obama, you ain't gonna get me to buy your product. There are two (2) people running for president. To be fair, why didn't you show them both?
Believe me, I am not a proponent of the current administration—I didn't vote for George W. for either term. But I didn't vote for his Democratic opponent. I voted Green.
I wish this country could get out of this two-party system, because you aren't voting for the man, you're voting for the party. And no matter what the man says, the political wheels behind the party scenes rule, and that's what we get. Get rid of the parties: that's the "change we need."
Wake up, Massachusetts! Wake up, America!
Bonnie Stolecki
Brimfield
Recently the Springfield Republican reported a debate between Kerry and Beatty. The only views presented at the debate were variations of a bailout for everyone but the unemployed and soon-to-be-unemployed. In the end they, Kerry and Beatty, both agreed that there should be some kind of bailout of the bankers.
I would not have voted for the bailout. The executives who engineered the banking crisis should never be allowed positions of responsibility again. They were rewarded with millions in salaries. Kerry is right: the middle class is being screwed by the Republicans. But he left out the part where the Democrats helped the Republicans screw the middle class by helping industry to relocate to cheap labor countries, providing military protection and allowing the export of American technology which taxpayers helped develop.
Robert Joseph Underwood
Springfield
With the Bush administration's drone attack inside the borders of Syria, an Al Qaeda operative was assassinated, along with a father and three children and "others." Assassinations! Innocents killed! Sovereignty trampled! Without a score card, it's hard to tell the good guys from the bad. But know that the rest of the world is keeping score. The next government of the U.S. will be dealing from a base of clay feet when it comes to credibility. Bush's actions are more of the same—the world is a far more dismal place because of his tenure. The lack of outrage from us, the citizenry is even more shocking.
Neil Fahey
Chicopee
