“Since most of the contributors to this section don’t do independent research, I’d like to add some actual facts to the discussions. In George W. Bush’s time in office (eight years), the Republican Party controlled both houses of Congress for only four years, and two of those years — ’03 and ’04 by only 51 senators. In 2007 and ’08, Bush’s last two years in office, both houses were controlled by the Democrats. So, President Obama inherited a Congress controlled by his own party.”
— Williamsport
“April 16, 2009, OLC opinions disclosed by the Obama administration. Overseas terrorist interrogations were disclosed and overruled by President Obama. Claims foreign intelligence partners had become reluctant to trust American counterparts with sensitive information. Obama claimed certain techniques to gain information from the enemy of little value. So, the man CIA thinks caused the Benghazi killings cannot be interrogated by CIA.”
— Hagerstown
“You must be kidding. The Herald-Mail is endorsing (John) Delaney for the house of representatives? Why would anyone in their right mind in Western Maryland want someone from Montgomery County representing them. Come on, you can do better than that Herald-Mail.”
— Brightwood Acres East
“No I don’t want any of you Republican governors in Virginia or Pennsylvania or New Jersey ... I don’t want you asking for any federal funds when this storm is over. Don’t do it. You think this government is so evil and bad don’t be hypocrites and ask for the money. Please don’t do that, you’ll look so silly.”
— Hagerstown
“I know that we are in the midst of a very, very strong ugly storm and I know that we need all the information that we can get to stay ahead of it but it’s getting to the point that talking about this storm is as bad as talking about President Obama and Mitt Romney. I hope and pray that everyone is all right but we’re just getting too much of it.”
— Hagerstown
“On Nov. 6, I wish that every citizen in the City of Hagerstown gets out and votes, and makes a clean sweep of City Hall and takes back our city.”
— Hagerstown
“I’d like to give the voters of Hagerstown and Washington County both some advice. The last time we elected a bunch of people to clean house we ended up with about 75 nuts down in Washington, who won’t vote for anything. That’s not the answer. The answer is making the people who are already in there do something for us.”
— Washington County
“I opened The Herald Mail to find an endorsement of John Delaney for U.S. Congress. ... Was it a coincidence that the front page had unemployment statistics for September that showed while in the State of Maryland unemployment is below the national average, Washington County is a point above the national average and almost two points above the state? And where has Congressman Bartlett been? Your point on Delaney’s understanding of job creation, deficit reduction and social issues vs. Bartlett’s ‘unyielding ideology’ gave me hope that rational objective decision making is alive and well.”
— Williamsport
“I want to vote on questions 4, 5 and 6 that are going to be on the ballot. I’m a conservative. I’m voting ‘no' on all three. Here’s why. Question 4 would use my tax money to allow children of illegal aliens to get in-state tuition. I say let them become citizens and they’ll qualify for that. Question 5 is the governor’s attempt to dilute all the conservative districts in the state like District 6 by inserting liberal areas, and then Question 6 would legalize same-sex marriage. People can move in with whomever they want but no one has the right to change God’s definition of marriage.”
— Hagerstown
“So Funkstown says to vote Romney/Ryan because he does not want socialized medicine, ala ObamaCare. Is Funks-town prepared to get rid of our other socialized programs of Social Security, Medicare/Medicaid and the VA system?”
— Fayetteville, Pa.
“It appears that the citizens in this area once again are wearing blinders. Question 7 will bring extra tax money into the state treasury. That has to be a good thing! Will it be given to the school system? Who knows and why should the money be used exclusively for the school system? There are many, many other needs that are funded out of the state treasury. Wherever the money is used, the extra income may help prevent our personal taxes from being increased.”
— Hagerstown
“In response to Chambersburg who asked why Mitt Romney opposed the auto bailouts that Bush started and President Obama finished, I too opposed them because when a company files for bankruptcy protection, they do not go out of business, but restructure to correct the problems that led them to bankruptcy to begin with. Ford did not take the bailout and is doing quite well now because of restructuring.”
— Smithsburg
“President Obama is the biggest cover-up artist to every occupy the White House. And you know what? He is very good at what he does. He’s pulled the wool over a lot of people’s eyes. He’s made a lot of people think he’s the greatest thing to ever enter the White House. So let’s find him a new house to live in.”
— Sharpsburg
“It is so sad to learn that the U.S. government sat in their safe offices and watched real-time videos from an overhead drone showing our embassy being attacked for seven hours and did nothing to help. There were ... fighter jets just one hour away. I am just heartbroken.”
— Clear Spring
“Can you tell me the board members, the candidates who are running for school board, which ones are Republicans and which ones are Democrats?”
— Sharpsburg
“How can any honest person and any hard-working person vote for President Obama? It is so obvious that he is not being honest with Americans on Benghazi, and that he has a disdain for the hardworking upwardly mobile American.”
— Boonsboro
“I guess newspapers have the right to endorse whoever they want. But you’re endorsement sometimes have weight. Before the election could The Herald-Mail please outline how you are to benefit financially from the location of the stadium being next to your mostly empty, poorly used large facility in the ballpark confines. Also would you please let us know who’s paying Mayor Bruchey’s bills and how he’s supporting himself. Let’s get some truth from The Herald-Mail. What have you to gain from the location of the stadium?”
— Washington County
“Four years ago President Obama campaigned on running on his record. Well, Mr. President, after four years, the only record you have to run on is a failed record. And the only ones who are going to vote for you are the (ones) on the left and the those looking for free handouts. Because a lot of people are starting to see everyday ... seeing through your rhetoric that you’re a failed president.”
— Hagerstown
“I saw President Obama on TV holding up a little pamphlet saying that he has a plan to get the economy moving in the next four years. Well, I also have a plan as a voter and that’s to put in a new president who will do the job. Not someone who just talks the talk but doesn’t walk the walk.”
— Sharpsburg
“I’m calling about the City of Hagerstown. I got my water bill and they charged me $39 for collecting cans and said there were 100 items. I found out we have to change the people downtown. Penny Nigh, Aleshire and Munson are who I’m voting for — I don’t care what party they are in. They at least try to save money for the people in Hagerstown or not sending money down to the bay.”
— Hagerstown
“In my personal opinion I think that you should vote for who will cross the line and vote bipartisan. Don’t worry about this one or that one. Worry about what is good for the country. Vote for the one willing to cross the line.”
— Falling Waters, W.Va.
“After Nov. 6, if a college student from out of the State of Maryland has to pay a higher tuition than an illegal immigrant, then it will be an injustice.”
— Hagerstown
“In your support of (John) Delaney, come on, guys, get real. The guy doesn’t even live in the 6th District. And he’s pretty questionable. He’s taking a stance. ... You are really out of touch, Herald-Mail. You do not agree with most of the people in the county, and I hope you’re proven wrong.”
— Washington County
“They couldn’t find anything bad about Mitt Romney’s character — he doesn’t chase women, he doesn’t drink or do drugs, he gets along with Dems and he knows how to budget money so they had to settle for he’s richer than most Dems and that’s bad?”
— Hagerstown
“I am baffled as to why the last debate was on foreign policy. I am sure the president has a lot more access to what is going on in the world (since he has the inside scoop) than Gov. Romney. This seems entirely one-sided to me. Also, I would like to respond to a Hagerstown mail-caller who stated the Republicans keep harping on Libya. From what I see he/she is still harping on Bush and he has not been president for almost four years. I don’t want a president who doesn’t know how to step up to the plate and admit his wrongs.”
— Williamsport
“Mitt Romney is for the rich, Barack Obama is for the working class, if you still hit a time clock, the choice is easy, Obama!”
— Hagerstown
“Ethical registered voters should be alarmed and dismayed by the shameful efforts of this administration to thwart voter ID enforcement and military votes. ... It is also quite apparent a majority of U.S. military personnel view our current administration with total disdain as a result of their inept, partisan and corrupt leadership. ... Please think about this: What will happen when the currently encouraged increase in takers surpasses the number of makers? How are the takers going to continue taking?”
— Hagerstown
“Election day is our shot at removing from office all those politicians we have been complaining about. If we keep voting them out eventually they will start to listen to the people to keep their jobs, right now they rely on lies and half truths to get re-elected.”
— Waynesboro, Pa.
“Elections bring out the best and the worst in people. The worst comes from the politicians running for office telling us how their opponent is just a really bad person and he or she isn’t and will change things. The worst of the worst are the presidential candidates who want us to vote based on their good character. The best are the voters who go and try to decide which is lying the least. I for one will be one of the best and vote for who ever is not in office now.”
— Greencastle, Pa.
“Regarding the stadium downtown, why can’t they put that on the November ballot as a referendum? It’s very obvious that the majority of the local taxpayers don’t want the stadium downtown. Why let just a few people decide how to spend taxpayers’ money? It’s just ridiculous. It’s not necessary. That baseball team isn’t that important. If they were affiliated with the Orioles, it would be different.”
— Hagerstown
