I am offended by the cartoon Watching a politician ... (Monday, Jan. 16).
I am not a politician, but I find it both offensive and reprehensible when the press, particularly, indulges in that public sport of denigrating our political representatives.
The vast majority of them are people of ability, honesty and integrity who offer themselves for public service, who are willing to make the personal sacrifices involved and who ought to be free from the vilification and cheap shots of those self-styled critics who find them an easy target.
If we want to ‘root out’ the few ‘bad apples’ there may be, we should uphold public office, emphasize the positive and reward service with praise and recognition, support and thoughtful criticism.
When we are hyper-critical, people tend to live down to our expectations.
I am a regular reader and supporter of our Red Deer Advocate, and the majority of cartoons are OK, if innocuous, and generally lacking in wit, but I would respectfully request that we be spared such a lame attempt at political satire as that of Jan. 16.
Doug Pratt
Red Deer