Adirondack Daily Enterprise "Web Poll"

There is a letter to the editor in todays Adirondack Daily Enterprise requesting that they cease publishing their so-called "web poll". Here is the letter:

Please do the community a favor and do away with the weekly Web Poll.

This so-called opinion forum has morphed into nothing more than a conveniently anonymous chat room where cowards deposit their rants, attacks, religious preachings and complaints over things that have nothing to do with the poll question. The Web Poll has served no other purpose than to divide the community. It is a verbal toilet.

The questions themselves are usually meaningless, divisive or poorly stated (or all of the above), and the “results” are worthless because the poll is unscientific.

As the only choice available for local news and information, the Enterprise should hold itself to a higher standard. The Web Poll is unprofessional and downright childish. If the editors really feel it’s necessary to have such a forum on the paper’s Web site, they should simply create a chat room where these people can have their anonymous, free-for-all shouting matches. Otherwise, there is already a legitimate way for the reading public to express opinions in the newspaper. It is called a letter to the editor, where you sign your name and accept accountability for your arguments.

I beg you to put a stop to the Web Poll. Flush the toilet!

Annette Scheuer

Saranac Lake

I have to say it's pretty hard to disagree with Ms. Scheuer. Take a look at the comments to the current "web poll" question. The question is: Does the Minneapolis bridge collapse make you more hesitant to cross bridges? A bit of an inane question but that is beside the point.

The comments begin with their usual pro-Walmart, anti-community store, native vs transplant "thoughts". They then rapidly devolve into rants against the Unitarian Church! Do the editors of the local paper and the commenters realize that these comments can be read by anyone with internet access? How do these comments make our community look to people living outside our local area? Most commenters probably don't care because if you live outside of Saranac Lake you are only a potential transplant who is not welcome in Saranac Lake.

Might we all be better off if Saranac Lake were a dying community?