Editor’s note: Recently in The Voice, the announcement was made of the death of the conductor of the column, Ask Grandpa, which provided readers with 503 weeks of sage advice, humor, and continuity. Below is the repeat of the January 14, 2021 column. The Voice will continue to offer previous columns. We invite special requests of previous columns.
Grandpa,
I am sick and tired of individuals who did not take the opportunity to vote pitching the (a fit) about how the election turned out. If they can’t take the time, or put out the effort to vote, they should accept things as they are and keep their opinions to themselves. They have no right to complain. Please pass that along to your readers who did not vote.
Grandpa says: I disagree with you on that point. Every living breathing American has the right to have a voice for their opinions. Granted, their opinion would have carried much more weight had it been expressed in the ballot box, but they still have the right to express themselves. And that right is given to them by the people who did vote and the service members, living and dead, who fought to defend our right to vote.
Many have the mistaken belief that one vote will not matter. The balloting process is like the Colorado River. Every drop of water in that river contributed to the carving out of the Grand Canyon. From that came something spectacular. If all the one insignificant votes that don’t count had been cast, the election would have been far more representative of the entire population’s choice. So, yes, even people who did not vote have the right to express an opinion. They did so by not voting. The opinion expressed was one of apathy and indifference. Next week, we will be inaugurating one president of the United States. No matter how you voted, we all will have just one president. It is now time for us to put away the differences we have and come together to support our Constitution, our form of government, and our communities. We can all do our parts by constructively expressing our opinions as well as listening to what others have to express. It is what freedom is all about.
Grandpa,
I am having a very hard time believing the reports about the numbers of new cases (of COVID-19) being reported in Illinois. I just heard on the radio that this is the fifth day in a row where more than 10,000 new cases were diagnosed. None of our neighboring states have anywhere near that many new cases. What does the news media have to gain by making up such silly stories? I am getting tired of hearing about this stuff and just want to go back to normal.
Grandpa says: There is no great back room filled with smoke where news executives gather like a bunch of horror-story authors to create news stories. The news media simply reports the events of the day. As to who is gathering and dispensing the information about how many new cases are diagnosed each day, I doubt that there is some back room filled with crazed writers.
I cannot explain why Illinois has so many new cases whereas neighboring states don’t. We are all under great stress at this time. It is a crisis situation, whether it is medical or political in nature, it is a crisis. Continue to express your thoughts and concerns.