Insist on it!
Dear Editor:
The close results between political rivals in this election belie the heartfelt wish of nearly ALL Americans. We all want change in Washington, D.C.
Setting aside partisan preferences, we all wish that the Congress and the president could cooperate to govern the country for the good of the country. We all want to be healthy, prosperous, safe and free. It seems an easy task. Of course we have seen over the past decade or two that it is not as simple as it sounds. Each person's (and each politico's) definition and priority of these basic tenets is as different as each of our faces.
It is painfully obvious that all politicians today are in the game for their own egos. Compromise exhibits weakness and dents their pride. How, then, to move forward with the business of our nation? Since the inception of our great county our leaders have managed to reach inside their heads to envision grand ideas and reached inside their souls to propose, to discuss, to arbitrate, to argue, and, yes, to compromise those ideas for the good of the United States of America. The only way this can occur in the present polarized political climate is for us, the people, to prod, push, cajole and threaten (with non-election) our leaders to engage in the job for which we elected them.
This great nation was founded on a grand idea. It has developed and prospered on still more grand ideas. Each of us has our own ideas. Our job as citizens of this great nation is to develop these ideas. How do we do this? The same way our leaders do it. We must propose our ideas, discuss, listen, and, yes, compromise. Let's keep our minds and hearts open. It is our one great hope for our country!
Tom Conlon
Cedaredge