Remember the Golden Rule?

To the editor:

Don Young, at a time when your mouth should have been silent, when your ears should have been listening, when your people skills should have been on very high alert, you blew it.

You have no right to place blame or point fingers at anyone regarding suicide. No one can truly understand another person, regardless of how well we think we know them. I know — I lost my 27-year-old brother to suicide, and the community in which we lived lost five more young men to suicide that year. We can speculate, we can pray, we can reach out, we can nurture, we can pass laws and create programs, but no matter what we do, suicide comes down to a decision by one person at one moment in time when they are completely and totally without hope.

Your comments were stupid and insensitive, and your lack of a public apology only solidifies my concern that you have over-stayed your time in Congress.

Your office as an elected official does command respect. You, as a person, have to earn respect. You, as an elected official, have to hold our respect in order to be re-elected. Your office does not give you the right to set common courtesy aside. Remember the Golden Rule? Perhaps you should think about how it applies to you and your elected status. You owe a public apology. What a group of students and their faculty and now the entire media-crazed population of the U.S. knows about you is not favorable to you, to your office or to your campaign. I would venture to say the “other party” is thrilled with your arrogant behavior.

Admittedly, I have never voted for a Democrat in a national election. I was considering it with regard to your office, even before your recent behavior. This election I will probably vote for a Democrat when it comes to the office of Representative. What could be worse, more of Don Young, or a newly elected Democrat?

Vicki Kluever

Palmer