Ad agencies and media outlets will probably give holiday bonuses after producing and selling this year’s mountain of fliers and cacophony of mean-spirited TV ads that have jammed our mailboxes and bombarded our airwaves. But let us hope Minnesota voters are more intelligent than advertisers think we are.

Let us hope that Minnesotans are too smart to believe that one particular candidate with a silver bullet has enough insight or power to turn our current economic situation 180 degrees overnight. A number of factors dating back through several administrations got us into this economic mess, and despite our fascination with instant gratification, fast recovery is simply not going to happen

Let us also hope that voters are intelligent enough to realize that, despite what the opposition claims, candidates Robin Brown and Tim Walz are honest individuals who have worked hard to serve voters and find solutions. Robin Brown worked to balance Minnesota’s budget while state revenues plummeted. When a real estate bubble bursts and banks go bust, people lose property and jobs, and the places in which they live lose income and property tax revenues. When investment income nearly vanishes because of low interest rates, state revenue shrinks more, and financing the needs of citizens becomes difficult. We are smart enough to see that the opposition’s claim that she has made “job-killing” irresponsible decisions is outrageous.

Despite the vitriolic sounding voice used in commercials, Tim Walz siding with Nancy Pelosi on health care reform is no different from Gil Gutknecht siding with Newt Gingrich in the 1990s. Supporting party agenda is not sinister. It’s the way our political system works! Legislators’ votes reflect the wishes of the majority of their constituents, and the majority wanted healthcare reform. Walz is a strong, principled man, the kind of guy who represents Minnesota values. Minnesotans are smart enough to know that.

We stand in line to improve our current situation. Times are tough so the wait time is long, and many are growing impatient. There is another line, but if we give up our place in the line we’re already in, our wait time will be even longer because we will find ourselves at the end, not the middle of that new line. We need to stay the course and support Robin Brown and Tim Walz.

Joan Claire Graham

Albert Lea