This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
We may profess values by which we wish to be perceived. Alas, how we allot our time and money reveals much about our real values.
"Your actions speak so loud I cannot hear what you say," written by Ralph Waldo Emerson, is illustrative of this idea.
Each vote in November is a statement of values alignment between ourselves and a candidate running for public office.
Reading "All The Kings Men" by Robert Penn Warren was personally insightful. It has been said by many to be the only book about politics one ever needs to read.
Please reward yourself with the gift of critical thinking by examining the candidates' values by seeing what they do versus what they say. In the aftermath, "going with the herd mentality" when voting can result in a lot of bleating and baas.
Reba Ann Wilcox
Salt Lake City