Gut-Check Weekend

One of our staff members this morning caught one of the morning news programs where they referred to the weekend before a major election as "Gut-Check Weekend," or that time when many people made their final decision on what candidates they were going to vote for. With the record numbers of early voters we have to also wonder if this past weekend might have been called "Buyer's Remorse" weekend where the vote that they cast ends up not sitting well in their gut. Regardless of the national sentiment, we hope that Osceola County voters who have not voted as of yet, take the time to listen to their gut before Tuesday.

The WayneWho staff has argued the merits of each candidate for every local seat amongst ourselves for several months. One thing we all agree on is that this is the first year in many where we all have real choices to be made for every seat. We feel that there is no seat where there is an obvious choice of who is qualified or not. Every candidate has shown through this year.

The differences between the candidates come down to honest differences on policies and issues that face our local communities. In our un-news style we have written about many of them. Growth, government spending, responsible use of tax dollars, ethics reform, cronyism, and government's role in social issues. They are all topics that we have touched on in one way or another. In every Osceola County race this year, the candidates have shown us in one way or another, their beliefs on these issues. Arguments like "growth must pay for itself", "local contractors should get preferential treatment (which sounds like 'affirmative action')," and "need to do a better job of buying and selling county real estate" all point to a candidate's view of how government should be run and the candidate's belief of their own role in government. These statements can be found littering your mailboxes, your drive to work, your newspaper, and even interrupting your dinner. While the messages might get annoying, remember that these statements are what give you the insight into the beliefs of a candidate and tell you how they are going to govern. These are the beliefs that cause us to do a "Gut-Check" to see if they have the same beliefs as we do. In the end, it is this "Gut-Check" that has helped to continue the greatest experiment ever created, the country we call the United States of America.

Just remember if the "Gut-Check" becomes too painful, seek medical attention because it may be a slight case of food poisoning and the WayneWho staff are not trained medical professionals. Other than that, we hope you enjoy your election day as if it were a national holiday.