BY Jack Criss
DBJ Executive Editor

At this time of year, if there's anything scarier than Halloween, it's political elections.
I've often maintained that one of the biggest problems facing the Delta, andMississippi as a whole, is a glut of unqualified politicians. Of course, in a democracy, anyone has the freedom and the right to run for office. That's the way it should be.
Today, however, we're seeing several new types of office-seeking animals: the career politician, who has made politics and fundraising a job; the third-party frivolous candidate, who knows they have no chance but just wants to stir up controversy; the race-baiting candidate who runs solely on a black vs. white or vice-versa platform, and many, many other similartypes.
The days of a political statesman, a la Thomas Jefferson, are pretty much gone. While there are certainly a few honorable, very intelligent men and woman in, and running for, office today, it's no secret that there are not as many as there once were.
It's also only a matter of time before we start seeing more celebrity candidates run for office, probably people like Madonna or Shaquille O'Neal or other such individuals from the music and sports world. Why not? We live in an entertainment-run society and it certainly seems logical that we'll see those we know from our stereos and television sets want to represent us in Washington.
Some of these folks might have good ideas and be very sincere, like a Clint Eastwood or Sonny Bono. And, of course, it is the right of a celebrity to run for elected office just like any other American. What I see for the future, though, is an attempt by some stars to make a mockery of what used to be the "art" of politics for the simple sake of notoriety or sarcasm. Not a good sign for democracy.
Instead of giving up in frustration and being fed-up with how ludicrous some of our elections have become, I believe the answer is to get more involved in the process. Nature abhors a vacuum, so the saying goes, and the same is true for politics.
If more of us do not get involved in a sincere and deliberate way in making political choices, then our very way of life may slip away from us, or worse: be taken away from us. That means we need to vote. That means we need to attend debates or talk one-on-one with the candidates, if possible. That means educating ourselves about the issues at stake in a given election. It means, in effect, being a responsible citizen in a day and age where responsibility is needed more than ever.
So while it may be a "trick or treat" scenario out there this November 5, we all have the power to influence our own destiny. Too many heroic people died for our rights for us not to exercise them, at the polling booth and before. It's not too late to make a difference. DBJ

Scott Coopwood
Publisher