To the editor:

I am continually trying to understand the underlying reasons as to why I am so disappointed in the failure of our federal elected officials to pass a balanced budget, to propose legislation that will make health care or food available to those who need it, to take seriously the potential impacts of ignoring environmental problems or to use diplomacy to make the global economy function well. Does the media report on the foibles of elected officials rather than their accomplishments because there are so few of them? Why can’t I understand that it seems more important to vote along party lines than to wander from them to serve a higher purpose? If my concerns are justified, then what can a single individual of the North Country do about it?

I can only find one answer, and that is to vote for someone who is smart, thoughtful, has a sense of obligation to all the people in his or her district as well as his or her neighbors across the country. The person should not be a single-issue candidate and should have the humility to recognize others’ good ideas. I have had the pleasure of watching Emily Martz for a decade, and I think she is that candidate. I have seen her help others get grants that ultimately lead to self-sufficient businesses. Her intimacy with the political economy of the North Country is a rare commodity. Her intellect, her caring for others, her intimate knowledge of the region and her thoughtfulness and follow-through have me convinced that if we had many in Congress like her, I would once again not be embarrassed by the rhetoric that is followed by collective inaction on the part of many of our elected federal officials.

Ross Whaley

Tupper Lake