Give people chance to cast vote on war

The first line in Kat Zeman's article, "Iraq war opinions will stay off towns' ballots," is: "Voters in Bloomingdale and Downers Grove townships will not be asked for their opinion on the Iraq war on the November ballot."

That is just so terribly sad.

I cannot believe that my neighbors, who go about their day pumping more and more expensive gas, paying higher and higher prices for their groceries, reading daily of increasing death rates in the Iraq war, understanding that the $12 billion a month price tag of this war has been borrowed and will be a debt incurred by our children and grandchildren; that these intelligent, responsible people have no opinion on this war. That they don't get that all of these things are related.

Are they even aware that they are being denied a say in this issue?

I know they understand that the problems and concerns of towns and cities across this country build a consensus and affect the actions of their congressmen and senators in Washington, D.C. I also know they understand that the townships stack the meetings only when they want to vote down an issue.

This is the most serious issue of our lives - the referendum on this war needs to be on the November ballot and all of the intelligent people of Bloomingdale and Downers Grove need to be informed of their right to demand it.

Why not let the voters decide? What is the harm in that? This still is a democracy, isn't it?

Pro or anti-war isn't the point - letting the people have a vote, and not let someone else speak for them, is the whole point.

Barbara J. Nudo

Bloomingdale