Letter: Voters weren’t paying attention to Bush’s record

Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2004 | 8:48 a.m.

This is in response to your Nov. 4 editorial headlined, "Voters sound wake-up call."

I think that the election results show that the electorate just didn't pay attention to the incumbent's record. What has happened to our country since January 2001, good or bad, is public record. Yet this record was ignored.

Ohio, with its massive numbers of unemployed, voted for someone who had a chance to, but didn't, prevent job losses there. Nevada, where the Yucca Mountain project will provide multiple chances a day for 40 years for terrorists to blow up shipments of radioactive waste, voted for someone who wants to fast-track the project.

Evidently a lot of people learned everything they know about a candidate from the negative attack ads run by that candidate's opponent. The country is now more susceptible to the hatred fostered by negative attack ads than by facts. People voted based on a candidate's position on abortion and stem cell research. These same people ignored actual deaths of people caused by their candidate's positions on a poorly planned war and assault weapons here at home. They also ignored the deaths that will certainly be caused by their candidate's position on health care, air and water pollution, worker safety and, yes, Yucca Mountain.

The United States has become what we despise in rogue countries -- a nation run by religious zealots that unilaterally invades other countries. If (when?) Bush decides to invade Iran or North Korea and they launch missiles, it will be too late for us all.

We can't wait four more years for reason to prevail.

RON JONES

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