Neighbors lack political couth

Today’s Sound Off is about political politeness:

DEAR HELOISE >> I dread this year’s coming elections, and it has nothing to do with the candidates. Four years ago, people put up all sorts of signs in support of the candidate they liked the best. Some people placed signs in their front yard, while others littered streets, parks and other places with signs for the person they supported.

The vast bulk of my neighborhood was in favor of someone I never liked, and I planned to vote for another man.

So, I placed a sign in my front yard only to have someone come during the night and pull it up, then hurdle it into my shrubs.

I put the sign back up again in defiance of what anyone else thought. That was when someone left a note on my door at night informing me of how stupid they thought I was. And since I was “too young to know anything” (I was 25 years old back then), I shouldn’t be allowed to vote. You can bet I voted that year!

After the election, I put my sign away, but signs for other candidates were left in place for well over a month until the city finally had to remove most of them.

No matter who you vote for, those signs should probably be made illegal if no one is willing to collect them after the election. I don’t care if your candidate won or lost; just do the right thing and dispose of the signs you put out.

Also, stay off other people’s property. Don’t pull up other people’s signs just because they’re for the opposition. It’s a free country where we vote for the candidate of our choice. Let’s keep it that way.

— Robert H., A Registered Young American Voter From Ohio

DEAR HELOISE >> I love my three cats, but they have a nasty habit of occasionally urinating on my bedroom rug. The vet said they didn’t have any urinary problems and that, instead, it’s their way of telling me they’re upset over something.

It can be over anything

— a stranger in the house, thunder or a lack of treats, for example. They let me know by peeing on my rug.

I’ve called professionals, and they have not been able to get the smell out. I’ve tried over-thecounter solutions that actually gave no solution!

How do I get the odor of their misdeeds out of my rug?

— Karen C., Purcell, Oklahoma

Karen, this is a method I’ve used, and it has worked well for me. (I’ve had as many as five cats at one time.) Combine:

■ 16 ounces of hydrogen peroxide

■ 1 teaspoon dishwashing liquid

■ 1 tablespoon baking soda

First, apply this mixture to a test site to make sure it doesn’t bleach out your rug. Wait 12 hours to see how it goes, and if all is well, then use this on the areas where they urinated. Let it dry completely and vacuum over the spot after it’s dry.