This is Viewpoints for Sunday, September 25, 2016

Make a plan to vote

Election Day is almost upon us. National Voter Registration day is Tuesday, Sept. 27. The League of Women Voters of Macon is partnering with the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and the LINKS of Macon to get every willing body registered to vote. We will be stationed at the following locations on that day: Middle Georgia State University, Student Life Center from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.; Mercer University, Connell Student Center from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Wesleyan College, Porter Hall from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.; The Smokin’ Pig Restaurant in the Macon Mall during lunch and dinner; and the Texas Roadhouse at The Shoppes at River Crossing during lunch and dinner. The last day to register is Oct.11.

However, getting registered to vote is only the beginning of the process. The important thing is for everyone to make a plan to vote. I want to emphasize that a “plan” is necessary so that you think ahead and put it in your schedule. Choose the day you will vote, the time, and how you will get there. Plan to vote during early voting (Oct. 17 – Nov. 4), so you can have an alternate date to fall back on in case an emergency arises on the planned date.

There are more issues at stake on Nov. 8 than just the presidency. There are local officials and state and U.S. representatives and senators. There are also four proposed constitutional amendments and a 1 percent special purpose local option sales tax (SPLOST) for Macon-Bibb County. To get more details on these issues you can go to the Secretary of State website (www.mvp.sos.ga.gov) to see a sample ballot. You could also attend the League of Wonen Voters noon meetings on Sept. 21 and Oct. 19 for discussion on these topics. Call 478-973-2328 to make your reservations.

Let’s have a record turnout this election. Please plan today to make your vote count by Nov. 8. Every vote matters.

Do they really know more?

Dr. Miguel Faria, in his Sept. 18 letter supporting Donald Trump, is certainly correct that Trump was not chosen by “the GOP leadership in a smoke-filled room.” But his declaration that Trump is “the popular choice of Republican grassroots voters,” giving him “a virtual mandate,” is misleading at best.

In all the Republican primaries and caucuses, Trump won 14,015,993 votes out of 31,183,841 cast, or 44.95 percent — hardly a mandate. More tellingly, in the contested primaries — those held before all his rivals dropped out and he ran unopposed — Trump won an average of 37.7 percent of the vote (the number ranged from 7 percent in Wyoming to 63 percent in Rhode Island). This means that, although Trump did usually finish in first place, an average of 62.3 percent in the contested primaries voted for someone else — and a flawed nomination process allowed someone who got only a plurality of primary votes, not a majority, to lock up the nomination before the convention, which is where the candidate should be chosen in such a case.

Faria then cites, in trying to dismiss it, what is indeed the greatest fear about Trump: the prospect of his “fingers on the button controlling the bomb.” In this regard, far too little attention has been paid to the warnings of knowledgeable Republicans themselves.

I implore Faria and all other Trump supporters to read the statement signed by 121 Republican national security experts (bit.ly/218OSNW) in which they declare that Trump is “utterly unfitted to the office” of president and that “as president, he would use the authority of his office to act in ways that make America less safe and which would diminish our standing in the world.”

Then I implore them to read the later statement signed by 50 mostly different Republican national security experts (bit.ly/2b8NwCm), including former CIA and NSA Director Michael Hayden, former Homeland Security Secretaries Michael Chertoff and Tom Ridge, former Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte, former U.S. NATO Ambassador William Taft IV, six former deputy national security advisers, two former undersecretaries of defense and 13 former members of the National Security Council, warning that Trump “lacks the character, values and experience to be president,” displays “an alarming ignorance,” “would be the most reckless president in American history” and “would put at risk our country’s national security and well-being.”

Do Faria and his fellow Trump supporters really believe they know more about national security than these people do?

New bike conscience city

I want to congratulate Newtown, the Knight Foundation, Macon-Bibb government, 880 Cities, Better Block, and Bike Walk Macon on this week’s incredibly successful reimagining of bike infrastructure in downtown Macon. The “pop-up grid” included a wide array of styles of bike lanes from Walnut Street’s middle of the road protected dual bike lane to extant sharrows (shared lane marking), as well as excellent signage to educate the community about how to use and respect these alternatives.

As a 40-year old woman who enjoys riding her bike, but rides slowly and sometimes timidly (for fear of aggressive drivers and car doors), this weekend provided an opportunity to ride safely and confidently. This weekend, my family (husband, 5-year-old son and I) rode quickly and comfortably throughout downtown Macon. We especially enjoyed the protected dual lane on Second Street that allowed us to travel without interference from traffic. I think drivers enjoyed seeing us traveling as well. Effective bike infrastructure provides a safe, multi-age, affordable, and eco-friendly transportation network for our community. For the next few days, Macon will feel a little bit like Montreal, Copenhagen or Portland; let’s keep it that way by supporting a transportation and community development plan that makes these changes permanent.

Keep it to yourself

You know we are all entitled to our opinions and in my opinion the media needs to keep their political opinions to themselves. I do and most people do, so please keep it to yourself and quit trying to influence the people of this great country about who to vote for. Thank you and good night.

This story was originally published September 24, 2016 at 9:00 PM with the headline "This is Viewpoints for Sunday, September 25, 2016."