To the editor:

The election is over. The people have supposedly spoken. President Bush claims a mandate, and he plans on spending the political capital he claims to have.

Let’s look at the numbers. Statistics say 59.6 percent of adults actually voted. Of those, Bush received about 51 percent and Sen. John Kerry about 48 percent. This means 30.4 percent of adults voted for Bush, 28.3 percent voted for Kerry, and 41.3 percent didn’t vote at all. Also, 22 percent of voters, or 13.1 percent of adults, cited moral issues as their No. 1 priority.

What does this tell us? Maybe it tells us neither party reflects the wishes of the majority of the people. Fact: More people chose not to vote than voted for either candidate. Fact: 13.1 percent of anything is no majority — moral or otherwise. Fact: The people in Washington may be elected representatives, but they fail to reflect the will of the people.

Should a government of the people, by the people and for the people exclude the will of the true majority: moderates? They can and they are. And we let them.

Randy Supernaw,

Perry