Cartoon was based on offensive stereotypes

As a retired attorney who specialized in employment discrimination, I know bigotry and prejudice when I see it. And it was there in all its ugly glory in the Taylor Jones editorial cartoon disparaging Democratic leadership: ageism and ableism on parade.

Leadership requires, above all, wisdom and judgment. Neither of those qualities correlates in any way with the time of day one chooses to eat meals, vision issues or the need for assistance with mobility. Franklin Roosevelt did a pretty fair job of leading this country from a wheelchair after all.

I understand the need for a newspaper to present various viewpoints, but if this cartoon had depicted racist or sexist stereotypes in this manner, I can't believe the Daily Herald would have chosen to publish it. It seems, however, that assumptions about people based on their perceived handicaps and age continue to be the last acceptable forms of discrimination.

Patricia Motto

Elmhurst