Parking limits will limit business in Ambler

To the bditor:

How can we limit business in Ambler?

I imagine that must be what they were wondering when our local government came up with the idea to limit parking on Butler Avenue.

The meters are limited to one hour during several hours of the day. If a consumer spends more than an hour getting her hair cut, or a couple spends more than an hour over drinks, lunch and desert ... that consumer can expect to add an additional A12 charge to their purchase. And, thanks to this absurd policy, local merchants can add consumer aggravation to the experience too.

What is the message our borough is trying to convey? Next time I will tell my hairdresser to hurry up. Next time I will tell my fellow diners to skip desert. Perhaps next time I will choose to spend my money elsewhere.

I really like Ambler and finG WKH PHUFKDnWV DnG DPbiance to be wonderful. I feel sure this policing of consumers was not thoroughly thought out and that RuU RIfiFLDlV FDn GR EHWWHU. Irene Lewis

Ambler

In Pennsylvania, candidates running as Democrats or Republicans have an unfair advantage over independent or third party challengers. While the major party candidates are only required to gather 2,000 signatures for statewide candidates, everyone else must gather a percentage of the total votes cast in the last election. This year, that number was slightly more than 20,000 signatures. However, in some years, the total number has exceeded 60,000 required signatures.

Despite this inequality, the Libertarian Party gathered moe than 50,000 petition signatures for its 2012 statewide candidates, including presidential candidate Gary gohnson. Immediately after filLnJ WKHLU SHWLWLRnV, D 5Hpublican-backed challenge was issued, forcing the Libertarians to defend their signatures in court.

Flush with money, the Republican challengers have tried to force concession by racking up huge legal fees and costs associated with the challenge. The Republican concession offer is diffiFulW WR UHIuVH JLYHn WKDW LI the Libertarian Party loses in court, its party and candidates as individuals can be sued for the legal fees and costs of the challenging party.

So far, the Libertarian ParWy KDV KHlG fiUP DnG UHIuVHG to concede. The Republicans are now going line by line through every page of signatures attempting to get them thrown out for the pettiest of reasons and the most hypertechnical standards, in order to disqualify just enough to get the Libertarian candidates thrown off the ballot. For example, signing with the township of “Blue Bell” wRulG HDUn GLVTuDlLfiFDWLRn, DV WKH RIfiFLDl WRwnVKLS LV “Whitpain.”

Republicans are not alone in limiting ballot access. Democrats have used the same tactics in prior elections. What should anger liberty-loving Americans is the way that two politi-

cal parties have hijacked our electoral system to give themselves an advantage over a free, equal and fair election process where everyone gets a voice and the people are given a true choice, not one pre-selected by Democrats and Republicans.

All Pennsylvanians deserve to have their voices heard in the election booth. Please demand of your elected representatives that third party and independent candidates receive equal ballot access. S. Douglas Leard

Blue Bell