Charles Hartley

A disclosure before proceeding: I am an omnivore, preferring my animal flesh charred over an open flame though I seldom eat red meat since a little round of prostate cancer and radiation a few years back. I also believe responsible research using animals has probably saved my life and the lives of many other humans, and I have no objection to that.

It was this kind of attitude that always kept me wary of Democrats. For too many years, it seemed to be the party of too many people telling me I had to not drink, not smoke, wear organic fabrics made by overpaid workers, not eat certain foods and only drive an underpowered car with a plethora of safety features.

My & time in law school, after two overseas tours and spending four out of five years out of the country, & was also when I began to realize just how much modern America had let big government intrude into people's lives with incentives and penalties all hinging on acceptance of one family & model as being the only acceptable family unit. &

But even if they do find a solution, are we going to help them out? The gist of the poll results discussed in the article is that the people want to balance the budget by cutting spending that impacts other people. Don't take my money, don't cut my programs.

There were a few abstentions on my ballot, and even after putting & the ballot & in the official yellow envelope and taking it down to the firestation to be counted, I had some lingering doubts about why we're going through this again.

All four candidates in these two races seem to think that experience in criminal law is the key to being a judge, and any possible appearance of bias shown by the endorsements mentioned above should only make them more qualified in the eyes of their target voter.