To the editor,

“Believe nothing you hear and only one half that you see.”

Edgar Allen Poe had a point. The political ads flooding TV airwaves are beyond confusing. We’re being flooded with contradictory negativity. The demonization of candidates is making the idea of an informed choice a farce. If no one knows what to believe, how can one make a good choice?

Ignore it all.

Trust only the half you see for yourself, not what sensational expensive TV ads tell you. Trust only what you personally see and know. Not what you are told.

We’re in an ugly, incredibly expensive war with no end in sight.

Gas prices are sky high.

It’s health insurance renewal time, and your premium cost is increased!

A huge Ballroom, Reflecting Pond Repair fiasco, Renaming Buildings, etc are occupying too much time and tax dollars.

Small communities are feeling threatened by data centers.

An overall meanness and cruelty starting with a president who uses language that would get kids disciplined.

You have to make a choice. Do you want two more years of this or not? The current president is here to stay til 2028, but local politicians who can put a stop to war, sky high groceries and gas prices, tax dollar wasting corruption and the health insurance crisis are up for re-election. Tip O’Neil was 100% right. “All politics is local.” You cannot reach a Ron Johnson or a Tom Tiffany the way your local representative can. Your LOCAL state representative can get on the phone with these folks and demand a change. Local politicians are the lifeline for our congressional reps and they have influence over what happens. They work for us. If they are not speaking out loudly against what’s going on, they are responsible and need to be held accountable at the polls.

If your representative tells you he/she “hears” you, or is working behind the scenes ask them to prove it. Show you the speech they made, the press release they issued or the bill they introduced to knock off the destructive madness that has put our country into a tailspin. You have to choose. More of this for two years, or something better.

I’m not saying vote for this party or that party. I’m saying that unless you want the laundry list above to continue, do not vote for anyone who has not publicly and insistently condemned the current administration’s path. You’ll hear excuses. Ignore them. Excuses are like garbage cans. They all stink. Look at the facts. War. Cruel language. Gas prices. Food prices. Health insurance. When you vote you are making a choice to stay the same or change for the better.

Dan Woll

River Falls