Candidates

At the close of the election campaigns--which frequently display some ugly aspects of our democratic process--I wish we could all settle down and give all candidates, both winners and losers, a standing round of applause. They typically endure physical and financial hardship, not to mention the seemingly inevitable verbal abuse, in order to serve their fellow citizens.

Though there are some individual officeholders who may drive us up the wall (Jesse Helms does it for me), I personally believe that the vast majority of elected officials are hard-working, sincere people who, as a group, deserve our gratitude and respect. Broad-brush cheap shots against legislators are easy. But think of what this unreasonable cynicism does to our gifted young people--the ones we will need to guide us in the future.

ROCKY VELGOS

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