Letters to the editor: Monday, June 23, 2008

Published: June 23, 2008

Primaries are the worst thing that's happened to the presidential elections. In order to get your party's nomination, you must appeal to the fringe element — the extremists. Then, in November, we're faced with the choice of the far left or the far right.

Before the primaries, decisions were made in smoke-filled rooms of each party's convention. They tended to pick candidates from the middle. Doing away with these popularity contests within the party would give us a better choice in November.

Let's end the primaries and go back to the smoke-filled rooms! Need proof? Consider that in 2004 the choice was between George W. Bush and John Kerry.

Jim McGlynn, Oklahoma City

Regarding "Math problem: Petition process in need of change” (Our Views, June 15): Congratulations to The Oklahoman for speaking out against the awful loss of our voter initiative rights. Oklahoma voters deserve better than to get to vote on only two of the 23 initiatives submitted this decade.

We need to lower our signature requirement, which is the highest in the nation, and expand the narrow 90-day period for gathering those signatures. The latter reform is just as important as the former in giving grassroots efforts a chance to qualify a measure for the ballot; moreover, it doesn't require a constitutional amendment. Voters also need protection so that petitions aren't thrown out on technical grounds after hundreds of thousands of citizens have signed.

Reform won't be easy. During this year's legislative session, The Oklahoman rightly took Senate Democrats to task for blocking a bill that would have simply allowed a task force to study reform. It appears reform will have to be citizen-initiated. Oklahomans for Initiative Rights is launching a citizen task force to gather public comment and ideas for reform. We want to hear from you. Email us at ekco@swbell.net

Norma Sapp, Norman

Sapp is executive director of Oklahomans for Initiative Rights.

I used to think that happiness was having a loving family, a nice home and nice friends. How things have changed! Happiness is now having a full tank of gasoline.

Woody Havens, Newcastle

In 1875, a lifetime failure proclaimed his philosophy of economic compassion and fairness, saying, "From each according to his ability, to each according to his need.” The idea was popular among academics, even though in conflict with the biblical commandments against stealing and coveting another's property. It brought with it a new bigotry and enmity for religion. It created a class of cold, hardened people with no concept of love or spirituality; tens of millions of innocents were executed.

Lenin brought communism to Russia. Germany turned to Hitler's national socialist party. In the United States, arrogant intellectuals in our universities dismissed our Founding Fathers' beliefs in freedom, religion and morality, proclaiming them antiquated and ignorant. Our graduated income tax was created to equalize wealth and punish those who created it. In 1920, avowed Marxist Roger Baldwin founded the ACLU to embark upon a path of anti-Christian bigotry and unconstitutional suppression of religious speech and exercise.

Marxism lives on, even though it's a proven failure. Beware of any politician who advocates more taxes for the hated "rich” and limits on free expression, or who believes that religion is a desperate refuge of the ignorant.

Ronald Bouwman, Oklahoma City

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