By Hannah W. Wever

Published: May 1, 2008

To the editor,
Every year around this time, young people are out and about doing fundraisers for their various summer activities. Being an educator in the county, I always feel compelled to support whatever cause I can, especially when I see former students of mine amongst the group, holding signs to support their cause. Over the weekend, I decided to donate to such a cause. There was a car wash being held at Altman Tire. I was astonished when there were a few girls who visibly refused to help wash my car with their group because of a political bumper sticker on my car. They were whispering right in front of me and in general, being disrespectful.
My car was begrudgingly washed. I use that term loosely as it was little more than sprayed with water and left with soap in some places. I could’ve spent about $3 at the car wash and had a machine do a better job and saved some cash in the process. The other customers in front of me had their cars wiped dry and their tires sprayed, something that was not even offered to me. In fact, someone just said, “Okay. It’s finished.” I was only thanked for my contribution by one person in the group, someone who knew me personally. What does this say about our society, and our community when people can’t have common courtesy and respect from a kind stranger?
The last time I checked, Americans are entitled to their own political opinions and can vote for whomever they want to in an election. Perhaps the best way for them to have handled the situation would have been to ask me why I would have such a bumper sticker. I would have been happy to acknowledge some of the issues that I will now share that I feel are unfairly influencing how some Americans are making their decisions.
As Americans, we need to make informed decisions about who will lead our country. We should not vote for someone simply because she’s a woman as we should not vote for someone because they are from the same ethnic background as us. We should not vote against someone because of their gender or race, either. Voters need to spend time educating themselves about the issues, not the person. I have taken the time to educate myself in order to make the best decision for myself. I encourage others to do so also. The media is not always the best source of information, in my opinion, because it is often very one-sided.
Ladies – good luck at states this year. I hope you make nationals, I know you placed second in states last year. I hope you raise all the money you need for the trip.
Jennifer Conley
Orange