This is just to reiterate to everyone about our policy with posting of political news. In order to maintain the high level of decorrum on the Forums that we have lived with the past 5 years, we must do what Fox News Channel does by stating that they are fair and balanced. In a sense that means that no personal comment on a person in the party of one person's choice can appear here without a comment by the candidates 'adversary.
Sure, where a candidate might vote in favor of Amtrak. he may not vote favorably of other issues that affect the working public. If Amtrak is really everything in the world to you, and the number one issue you want your candidate to address and improve on, then think again. In reality we are hard workers at our carreers, parents bringing up kids and teens, and home owners trying to maintain their homes in the best condition while ensuring that monthly mortgage and maintenance fees are paid every month. Is Amtrak the number one issue on those people's minds? Hopefully not, unless Amtrak happens to be your sole reason for being, your employer, etc..
So here is the litmus test to go by.
1. If you have a NEWS article stating what a candidate has done or has promised to do, then it can be posted here.
2. If it is commentary by a columnist or letter to the editor, or editorial, think twice about posting it. That is exactly what we are trying to avoid, an endorsement.
3. In short, there should be no posts on our board from our members either outright endorsing or denouncing any Presidential or VP candidate, much less anyone running for Senate or Congress.
4. As much as some would like to, there should be no bashing of the current administraition, because again there are those who might think differently.
5. And while we are on the subject, please don't e-mail other members with your political views. We're bound together for our interest in things that run on flanged wheels, not whether we agree or disagree with one another on whom to vote for. The e-mails I have received around the 2004 presidential election, and are starting up now for 2008, have been clearly designed to either reinforce that I will vote for the candidate of the sender's party, or change my mind if I was going to vote for the other party's candidate.
We can't avoid politics, but it is one of the issues I have learned over my years with the group that can be highly divisive. Let's stick to talking about trains and leave the political discussions for those outlets that were created for it.
This was not written in reaction to anything that has been said on the Forums so far. Hopefully it will provide our members with some guidelines in properly discussing issues dealiing with trains without causing anarchy among us by publicly supporting or denouncing somebody either in office or running for it.
Edited by KevinKorell, 31 August 2012 - 01:17 AM.