Recently we published an article about three meetings held in Covington by members of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's campaign staff. Not to our surprise, the story generated a dialogue through our online comments. It is not our policy to tell anyone to vote for or against a certain person, but rather to inform our readers of the course of action the candidates will likely take if elected.

Voting for or against candidates simply based on the color of their skin is inappropriate and not something intelligent, civic-minded citizens should do. A complaint on our Web site suggested that if Obama became president, then "the black population will think that they can take over the world." This kind of reasoning, based on racial prejudices rather than a thoughtful weighing of each candidate's stances on the issues, does not serve us well in this country.

With a sluggish economy, soaring foreclosure rates, prisons full of violent offenders and schools desperate for young mathematicians and scientists, it is irresponsible to vote without careful observation of the candidates beyond their physical appearance. Obama is a Democrat and McCain is a Republican - ideally that should be the only thing people examine or criticize before heading to the polls. Vote for whomever you want to, but take time to really explore what each candidate stands for and promises with his or her campaign.