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Letter to the Editor: Republican Party’s policy of obstructionism not good for nation

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Letter to the Editor: Vote to put nation on the right course once again

<p>I am writing this letter to the editor because I am perplexed and concerned over the willingness of many American citizens to seemingly disregard the importance of honesty and forthrightness by our elected officials.</p><p>Have we simply become comfortable with those who frequently practice dishonesty? Do we expect it and dismiss irresponsible conduct from these individuals? In other words, have we become so accustomed to being lied to that we are indifferent to dishonest behavior from the politicians and government officials?</p><p>Would you tolerate this behavior from your spouse, your children, co-worker, neighbor or friend? If your answer is &#8220;no,&#8221; then I must ask why you tolerate this flawed behavior from elected officials or those whose charter is to tell you the truth, especially when the consequences of their actions might adversely impact others, our great nation and its future.</p><p>How do you respond when a loved one lies to you? Do you punish them, reprimand them or reward them for their act of deception? If you respond one way with those close to you and a completely different way with those who are required, by their oath of office, to be honest, you might cause those close to you to question your credibility and forthrightness.</p><p>Please, always practice what you preach.</p><p>In American history, we&#8217;ve learned about Honest Abe. President Abraham Lincoln was first called &#8220;Honest Abe&#8221; while working in a store in Illinois. It&#8217;s said, whenever he realized he had shortchanged a customer, he would close the shop and deliver the correct change to the customer, regardless of how far he had to walk. People were quick to recognize, respect and appreciate his honesty and integrity. As a result, they were soon asking him to act as a judge or mediator in contests, fights and arguments.</p><p>That said, are you ready and prepared to affix the labels &#8220;Honest&#8221; or &#8220;Dishonest&#8221; to our presidential candidates, their assigns or surrogates? Let&#8217;s accept the truth: All of our candidates for president are flawed in one way or another. </p><p>I, for one, am sick and tired of being lied to &#8211; whether it&#8217;s about &#8220;shovel-ready jobs&#8221; wasting over a trillion of our dollars, or &#8220;if you like your doctor or health insurance plan you can keep them,&#8221; or even a new political commercial that states the passage of Obamacare was done in a &#8220;bi-partisan manner.&#8221; Not true. They&#8217;re all lies! Who respects and accepts that?</p><p>I tend to use quotations from famous people to drive home my points. Please enjoy the following words of wisdom from people who were blessed with that unique, and the sorely missed, gift of honesty.</p><p>&#8220;Honesty is a question of right or wrong, not a matter of policy.&#8221;</p><p>&#8211; <em>Abraham Lincoln</em></p><p>&#8220;Honesty is the first chapter of the book of wisdom.&#8221;</p><p>&#8211; <em>Thomas Jefferson</em></p><p>&#8220;We must make the world honest before we can honestly say to our children that &#8216;honesty is the best policy.&#8217;&#8221;</p><p>&#8211; <em>George Bernard Shaw</em></p><p>I wish we had their collective wisdom and honesty to guide us today, don&#8217;t you?</p><p><strong>Tom Burrows</strong></p><p>Hazle Township</p><style>
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Letter to the Editor: What would ‘Honest Abe’ think of these lying officials?