VOTE: For better America

When I was young, things were different. We were different people. We were civil when it came to politics. I was taught that our president was given dignity and respect by all of us. The president represented America, even if we didn’t always agree. We did not make our president the political punching bag in the eyes of the world. Americans carried our identity with honor.

I think about how difficult it is to be president. This is certainly the worst election cycle in my lifetime. I had to stop and ask myself, am I contributing to the problem? Our forefathers put a two-party system in place so that we would talk to each other, challenge our ideas and try to find common ground. Sadly, our bad behavior started with right wing media, but the left jumped right in the game. It is now perfectly acceptable to call elected officials names and spread rumors and innuendo. We accept the untested information as if it is fact and refuse to accept facts if they make us uncomfortable. We are angry with people who do not agree with us.

There is one thing I know for sure, if we continue to focus on what divides us, America will not be able to move forward. If our entire agenda is to stop each other, America will be unable to accomplish anything. I will no longer be party to this America. I will seek common ground. America is better than this.

BARBARA SCHMICH

Coeur d’Alene