Abandon all hope, ye who enter Baltimore

The low turnout in Baltimore's primary election Tuesday is the signal that the citizens of Baltimore have no hope for anything in Baltimore to improve ("Election draws lowest turnout in history," Sept. 14). Let me be clear, the citizens of Baltimore haven't lost hope, they have abandoned hope. They believe nothing can change, and they have resigned themselves to another four years of spiraling misery. The reason is clear — 45-plus years of uninterrupted Democratic mayors and administrations have brought Baltimore to it's knees. It is that simple.

Thousands upon thousands of derelict homes and properties, a tax base that has taken flight, monumental welfare/social program failures, and an entrenched, corrupt bureaucracy didn't happen overnight. These are the hallmarks of the failed Democratic policies. You can see it in the other old Eastern cities where the Democrats have held sway for five or six decades. They all mirror Baltimore's dismal, utterly hopeless situation. At least the citizens of Baltimore won't be alone when the end comes and no one has any option left then to vote Republican. It can't possibly be any worse.

Jay Sangston