Spring is my favorite season with all the flowers and foliage putting on their annual show. Some peep out slowly, like demure little kids at their first big party. Others throw the door wide open and burst onto the scene as the star of the show and ready to strut their stuff. Fall and winter are the next favorites on my list. The crispness of the air as the leaves go out in a blaze of glory and then the beauty of snow obscuring all the grunginess for a time. It helps too that the later seasons bring along my favorite holidays, Halloween, Thanksgiving and most of all Christmas. 

Summer used to be second on my list, but I just can’t handle the heat well any more. If I could spend most every day out fishing on a mountain lake, playing in the water and eating watermelon with no negative consequences, it could easily float to the top. Of all the seasons though, my absolute least favorite is the months leading up to an election. It seems the past 30 years or so it’s become primarily a time of mudslinging and nastiness. It’s nearly impossible to see the truth in anything for all the crap thrown every which way. Fortunately, Mother Nature is not in charge of the political season, so we have a chance to improve it. 

Potential for Greatness

I first learned of the beauty of our democratic republic system of government back in 5th grade. Ms. Hopkin explained the checks and balances and the importance of compromise in our revolutionary system. Even at 10 years old I understood the importance of ensuring those checks and balances were supported and the sanctity of voting. In order to uphold those principles and realize our potential, there are a few concepts we need to promote:

• Those that espouse different opinions than our own are not our enemies. We are Americans. We are people. That’s what matters most. Viewing others as an enemy just serves to instill animosity and mistrust unnecessarily.
• “Truth in advertising” does not apply to political ads. Candidates and their campaigns can say anything, even telling outrageous falsehoods, and the media cannot restrict or alter them. 
• Ignorance is not bliss. Voters need to educate themselves about history, issues, and all the candidates. By this I mean doing your own research, not just following a “party line” or what a certain leader says. There are plenty of sources that are either unbiased or present multiple views on an issue.
  • National Public Radio (NPR)
  • The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS)
  • PolitiFact – a website dedicated to fact checking journalistic reports
  • GovInfo – free public access to official Federal Publications
  • The Voter’s Self Defense System – a handy website where you can search for a particular politician to learn some of their history both personally and politically.
• Keep in mind that current politicians are often trying to fix mis-steps from previous politicians. Problems are often blamed on the people currently in office, but it usually takes years for policies to reveal their long-term effects. 
• Listening is key. Listening, not talking. When we listen to others and try to understand opposing viewpoints, we broaden our minds and hopefully improve ourselves at the same time.

A Season of Change

I think we can all agree that the current state of politics in our “Land of the Free and Home of the Brave” has strayed way off the desired path. I also know that it often feels like it’s impossible to change the powers that be. But that’s one of the great things about our government’s organization – it’s designed to incorporate change as needed. So, if you don’t like what you see in the candidates on the ballot, do something about it.

• Vote intelligently – take time by yourself to research and support the candidate that best fits your ideals – and hold them to their promises
• Write to your representatives – if your candidate is not elected, communicate with those who are to let them know your viewpoint. Communicate with them courteously. Two sayings I think sum it up well, “The squeaky wheel gets the grease” and “You’ll catch more flies with honey than vinegar.”
• Look into different voting systems, such as ranked voting. Perhaps a change to the voting system is in order. If your area already uses ranked voting make sure you understand it before you send in your ballot or head to the polls.
• Run for office. You can start making a difference in your community by serving on your city or town council or however your local government is organized. 

In the pilot episode of “The Newsroom” the character of Will, played by Jeff Daniels states, “America . . . is not the greatest country in the world.” Part of his argument for why we used to be the greatest is, “We aspired to intelligence, we didn’t belittle it, it didn’t make us feel inferior. We didn’t identify ourselves by who we voted for in our last election. And we didn’t . . . scare so easy. We were able to be all these things and to do all these things because we were informed . . . First step in solving any problem is recognizing there is one. America is not the greatest country in the world anymore.”

I agree with his statement, but I have hope that we can be great again if we all just use our brains more when we vote and our hearts more when we communicate and work with others.