Alan Seliger: Actually, voting your conscience is the American way
Re “Mayors move against ag vote” (Page A1, April 5): The front-page story illustrated how divisive the farmland preservation issue has become. The panel entrusted with the issue voted 3-2 to embrace a guideline which is vehemently opposed by some of the mayors in Stanislaus County. The panel members voted their consciences, which they are free to do in our country.
Apparently mayor Richard O’Brien of Riverbank thinks differently. To quote the mayor: “It’s not the American way to go against the majority.”
It seems as if the mayor doesn’t fully understand how a free society like ours works. But the second quote by the mayor –“instead of ‘commissioners’ maybe we should be calling ourselves ‘comrades,’” referring to the term used in Soviet times in a closed society – was certainly childish. It’s like a child who doesn’t get his way, who pouts and starts calling people names. Not something you would expect from a mayor.
Alan Seliger, Turlock
This story was originally published April 7, 2015 at 10:52 AM with the headline "Alan Seliger: Actually, voting your conscience is the American way."