Politicians need to be scrutinized, not worshiped with lighted billboards

Chapman's Wine and Chocolate event at Queensbury Hotel Friday

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Four years ago, a Queensbury resident on Aviation Road attached a home-made sign to his fence proclaiming that Trump is still the president.

The sign has shown wear and tear over those four years.

In the summer, the plants obscure the message during the summer months.

It was refreshing last week to see a brand new store-bought Trump-Vance sign next to it. If the owners took the old one down, property values might increase.

Not far from the front door, is a little wooden box that houses a manger scene during the Christmas season.

This election season, it houses a Trump-Vance sign and has a light on it so you can see it at night.

There is a flag pole in the front yard as well and I suppose we should be grateful the Trump flag is below the American flag.

I wonder if that will change after Tuesday.

There are a few other signs in the neighborhood, but not many. It seems like there are fewer signs that usual.

They are an eyesores and I look forward to Wednesday when they are supposed to come down, except of course for the guy on Aviation Road who has made it a permanent lawn ornament.

I also made a personal statement in October by flying a flag on my garage.

It was a New York Yankees flag.

But after Game 5, I took it down. I thought about making my own flag that said, "The Yankees are the REAL World Champions," but the reality is the Yankees deserved to lose, especially after giving up five unearned runs in one inning in Game 5.

So I replaced my flag with harvest flag with pumpkins and leaves symbolic of the changing of the seasons.

I moved on with my life.

I thought about putting the margarita flag back up or the "Welcome to paradise" flag and refusing to accept the end of summer.

We all define ourselves in different ways.

There is still one hearty soul on Dixon Road in Queensbury flying a New York Giants flag, but he has not put a light on it yet. After Sunday, I suspect he will not be motivated to do that.

I'm looking forward to putting up my penguin flag after the first snowfall.

This is the free speech most of us exercise.

It's how we identify ourselves.

It gives insights into our likes and dislikes and what is important to us.

Like margaritas.

And penguins.

It is worrisome when we put politicians up on a pedastal.

When we make them heroes.

When we put them in a manger instead of the baby Jesus.

Sorry, but that's a little bit weird.

We should keep our elected officials at arm's length, hold hem accountable and make them earn our vote.

Sadly, most fall short these days.

That has probably always been the case.

They don't deserve our worship, or a billowing flag right below the American flag.

Presidents won't solve your problems.

That has to be done by a coalition of the executive branch with members of Congress.

They aren't doing that either and we all should be appalled.

The point is not a criticism of conservatives, Republicans or any of their beliefs, but the reality that it is dangerous to raise any politician to the level of a deity.

By making home-made signs in their honor.

By shining a light on those symbols.

And by worshiping them for four years like those folks in that Aviation Road home.

Politicians should not be treated as celebrities.

Our job as citizens is to hold elected officials accountable, to scrutinize what they say and demand that they serve the greater good for all of us, not just themselves.

And every two or four years, give them a performance review to see if who is the best person for the job.

When we realize that, maybe we will finally get some real leadership.

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Being heard

It makes sense for a local newspaper not to endorse a candidate in the presidential race. Voters have access to plenty of information to make an informed decision, but that's where it ends.

Newspapers, media outlets of all shapes and sizes should be informing the public about local races for supervisor, mayor, town boards, state senate, state assembly and yes, even the county coroner.

If they don't do it, who will?

In the wake of the controversy over the Washington Post and Los Angeles Times not endorsing in the presidential race, it was refreshing to hear Times Union Editor Casey Seiler print these words about endorsements.

"What’s the point of having a voice, whether as an individual or as a media outlet, if you’re not going to use it?"

Indeed.

Newspapers don't tell you who to vote for but often have an advantage regular voters do not. They get to sit with the candidates, ask tough questions and evaluate their credentials, experience and character.

When I was on the editorial board at The Post-Star, the vast majority of our endorsements were unanimous and represented candidates from both of the major parties, an occasionally one from a minor party. It was obvious to us who the choice was and often those candidates lost which was always puzzling.

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Wine and Chocolate

The Chapman Museum's Wine and Chocolate event at the Queensbury Hotel is scheduled for Friday from 5:30 to 8 p.m.

This is a wildly popular event with dozens of wineries and distilleries present for sampling along with a variety of food and snacks. Tickets are $60, but remember this is for the cause of preserving our local history at the Chapman Museum.

You can get tickets by calling 518 793-2826 or going online at www.chapmanmuseum.org.

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Glens Falls win

Glens Falls' unbeaten football team advanced to sectional semifinals Friday night in a game that was a bit odd.

Green Tech, the fourth seed, gave top-seeded Glens Falls all it could handle. Glens Falls's potent offense was anemic in the first half, but Glens Falls scored touchdowns on a blocked punt and an interception return.

At the end of the third quarter, I saw something I have never ever seen in a football game. The referees called four consecutive unsportsmanlike penalties against Green Tech as Glens Falls pulled away.

After Glens Falls scored to take a 40-6 lead, my group decided to leave with a few minutes left in the third quarter.

The game was called shortly after that because of an injury to a Green Tech player. I suspect it had more to do with Green Tech's unsportsmanlike conduct penalties.

Glens Falls plays in the sectional semifinals Friday night.

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The Chapman Museum decorating committee got a head start on some holiday decorating this weekend.

Chapman decor

Our decorating committee at the Chapman Museum has been meeting and planning since last January.

We took advantage of the good weather on Saturday - it was in the high 40s, but hey, it's November - to decorate the outside of the DeLong House with wreaths and greenery. We've also installed some new lighting outside.

Make sure you take a look when you are passing by on Glen Street.

We will be heading indoors for the rest of the month so mark your calendar to treat your family to a holiday decorating extravaganza at the Chapman Museum starting Thanksgiving weekend and beyond.

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Dowd quote

With Election Day staring us straight in the eye, I felt compelled to share this final thought from New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd which gets to the heart of the matter for all voters.

She wrote in Sunday's column:

"And that raises the question: How did the America of George Washington never telling a lie, the America of Honest Abe, the America of the Greatest Generation, the America of Gary Cooper facing down a murderous gang alone in “High Noon” — how did this America, our America, become a place where a man with no character has an even chance of being re-elected president?"

They'll be trying to figure that out for years to come.

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Ken Tingley spent more than four decades working in small community newspapers in upstate New York. Since retirement in 2020 he has written three books and is currently adapting his second book "The Last American Newspaper" into a play. He currently lives in Queensbury, N.Y.