I am carrying a concern for the need to “calm the rhetoric” of our current American culture and especially of our elected officials and candidates for election and I am wondering if there are others with an interest in this issue.  I hope so.  My concern is that the use of destructive and inflammatory language has become a behavioral habit for many of our County’s citizens and is so prevalent in local and national politics that our two major political parties have gravitated into insular shells and at the moment can't or won't see beyond their own walls.  This condition has existed long enough that our legislative process has been crippled to the point that it can no longer adequately serve the public.  These critical lawmaking institutions of our Federal, State and County Governments must be healed in order for our country to thrive. 

Backbiting is unfortunately an outcome of one aspect of human nature but although that makes it understandable it's not acceptable because the charge of government is to take steps to mitigate the destructive tendencies of human nature by creating necessary laws and enforcing them.  The beauty of our US Constitution is that it's creators had a good handle on the realities of human nature both the good and the bad and through a spirit of cooperation came up with a workable plan even though some of these men were bitter political rivals.  But this spirit of working effectively toward the mission has taken a back seat to party loyalty and ideology.  Every evening we have this condition of tribal ugliness staring back at us through our television sets.  Even so, many of us are blind to the destructive effects of this behavior because it has crept up on us insidiously.  Nevertheless, those of us who see it and deem it unacceptable must do what we can to help ourselves, our brothers and sisters and our citizen politicians to recognize the destruction and to develop a habit of behavior that is civil and beneficial.

I would like to do what I can to facilitate the improvement of this condition. Suggestions carefully contemplated, on what might be done are welcomed as are feelings carefully contemplated, that I might be mistaken.

How can we expect a body (legislative in this case) to do good work when it is sick and can’t move? Working for healing should be our first priority.

Thank you for your time!

Stuart Greene
luckystu222@gmail.com