Voters must elect constructive leaders

Dan Rodricks ("Hoping for the best, not expecting much," Sept. 6) is wrong to describe the discouragement of the electorate instead of fighting it. He should use his column to fire up the voters to deliver a Congress that shows a democracy can work.

Electing the Congress is, of course, the voters' responsibility. Let every voter go to town hall meetings, write letters and e-mails to their different candidates and press them mercilessly to review their records: Were their actions designed to solve problems or to show party solidarity? Demand they commit to a constructive role. Make clear that such a commitment may be more important in choosing a candidate than some details of policy. Let every voter become so well informed about their candidates that the interminable malicious ads made possible by the huge sums of money are of little interest.

We all want the economy to improve and the government to function. To achieve that, we voters must make much better decisions than we have recently. That will require more effort, but without it we can hardly expect much improvement.

Michael Beer, Baltimore