Letter - Ritzel Starleigh Ngo

On Sept. 15, I was blessed with the opportunity to attend my first

political forum. After the event, I was greatly discouraged and disgusted

by the lack of respect from the Regional Government Review Coalition,

which outwardly dismissed Libertarian Ted Brown and his supporters from

participating in a candidate forum.

This particular event labeled “candidate forum,” was misleading to

community members. If an organization is going to title a political

forum, “candidate forum” it is essential to include all possible

candidates -- Libertarian, Green, Natural Law, etc. -- when planning for

an event of this magnitude, regardless of their chances of winning an

election. This was clearly a Democratic/Republican function only. I would

encourage the coalition to clarify its title for future political events

by using Democratic/Rupublican Forum only.

I feel that this forum was an insult to the citizens of the 27th

Congressional District. The coaltion ridiculously presented two political

party candidates, a theme evident throughout the event -- Rupublican or

Democrat.

They limited the political knowledge of citizens in this area by

censoring the Libertarian’s right to speak, even after he desperately

tried to join in on the program. This is unfair and unethical on the part

of the Regional Government Review Coalition. The group obviously has no

shame in basically telling this man to “get lost.” Whatever happened to

freedom of speech?

As a third-year political science student, I am dismayed with the

politics of this nation. The mainstream media continues to present a

double-sided view of American politics -- Democratic or Republican. This

bitter rivalry between the two is a quest for political power and

authority, and not for serving the needs of the American people.

I am a registered Republican, and a former intern for Congressman

James Rogan. I have been following the 27th Congressional District race

very closely as I care deeply for my community and the best interests of

our nation. But, I’ve only seen articles predominately relating to Rogan

and Schiff.

I must note that the topics discussed at the coaltion’s forum (between

Schiff and Rogan), which also continue to be discussed throughout their

campaign articles and debates, are those which continue to be along party

lines only, such as Medicare, Social Security and education. Both

candidates recognize their is a problem at stake, but present a different

remedy for the issue.

I’m not implying these issues aren’t important, but isn’t it time that

our candidates address other issues of equal importance concerning

America, such as curing the growth in poverty in recent years, or finding

a solution to the growing wage gap between our middle-class and CEOs?

I simply thought that I would share my views with the Glendale

News-Press and, hopefully, with our community. I’ve been reading the

articles following this forum, and most of them seem to have a prevalent

theme throughout, speaking about the censorship of the Libertarian

candidate.

I read the Glendale News-Press daily, as I take it with me to school

in the morning. Since I commute to school, and have very little time to

interact with my community, the News-Press does an excellent job in

keeping me informed with the activities and daily occurrences within our

community. I think the paper is doing a wonderful job!

Good luck with future articles, and thanks for listening.

RITZEL STARLEIGH NGO

Glendale