I really don’t understand the reason that Governor Murphy insisted that New Jersey has to vote-by-mail. Look how many times people had to stand in long lines for hours just to buy essential goods. Before Covid-19 hit, there were already many people requesting absentee or vote-by-mail ballots. If people go to vote in person, they essentially want to vote and go home, especially if they have to work the next day. The only people I’ve seen hang around longer than that are the challengers who are working for the specific candidates. People use Covid and the rules associated with it only when it serves their advantage. 

Voter fraud with mail-in ballots have been going on for years and is not a bulletproof system. So, there is no reason to deny people a right to vote in privacy. I don’t care what anybody says – your mail-in ballots are being traced to you. In my view, that is a violation of your privacy. There are 1,285 proven cases of voter fraud in America as of May 10, 2020. (source: The Heritage Foundation). 

Not too long ago, I had to endure 5 hours of loud, nonstop music for a fundraiser while a sign flashed: “No loud music; no large gatherings; practice social distancing.” I guess Covid was not needed for that occasion. As others have written in the past, depending on your cause, or what group you belong to, you are exempted from the Covid rules. Also, during the shutdown, when Covid first appeared as a threat, many smaller stores were ordered to be shut down. This is understandable while safety precautions were put in place, some of these local smaller stores has supplies that were thoroughly needed and could be easily accessed by senior citizens. These products included: gloves, masks, disinfectant wipes, paper towels, toilet tissue to name a few.

These smaller stores were shut down for too long, especially the ones who made or sold clothing, but didn’t have a dressing room for someone to try on their clothing. I believe this hurt our local economy in a big way and price gouging would not have gotten so out of hand. If you have rules, then no one is too important or too powerful to be excluded from them. Unfortunately, I’ve seen a lot of this happen.

A lot of people will recognize their irresponsible behavior in this editorial. Whether or not they care or not is up to them. C.M.