There was a time when political colors were not how we identified with each other in this community. Our representatives and political leaders had their fights where they belonged and worked in the community with a certain level of partnership. The current focus is quickly depleting all the resources supporting our local communities. In the past, we have seen results when people meet in the middle to finish the work.
The coming holiday is a great time to show your support for freedom. However, the past couple of years seem to be a time to reinforce personal positions on political affiliation. Some kicked it up a notch and now just showed affiliation towards one person. In our local parade, you can hear the boos as political rivals go by neighbors that do not align with their ideology. Civility continues to slip away; in a recent survey, the Society of Human Resource Management found that over half of the U.S. workforce deems society uncivil.
In the 90s, our representatives worked together to protect Idaho’s resources and public education. School funding through the 1990s steadily increased as communities and student populations grew. Then everything changed. Tax cuts and other policy changes over the past decade are leaving our schools depleted of funds and falling apart. Recently, our GOP elected Senators voted no on the funding that feeds children in each of Idaho’s communities. Voting decisions are made based on a fear of a local tribunal if voting deviates from the local minorities’ view of conservatism.
When you look at the landscape, who would want to get involved? It is understandable why someone would not give their time just to be mocked or exiled within their community. Who wants to donate money to see if all disappear in a power play? We saw this recently with the local Bonneville County GOP committee in a recent leadership change. Businesses cannot afford to alienate themselves or their customers in a challenging economy.
A safe place is where people come together to work in the middle. There are similarities beyond affiliation or any purity test that party leadership can come up with. In a 2012 interview, Governor Cecil Andrus stated that “there is no more middle.” There cannot be a middle when representatives are punished for trying to find it. As a community, we must know each other as neighbors and families, not as Democrats and Republicans. The truth is each election is the most important, requiring all citizens to participate and vote based on the character of the person running.
With the holiday and election season ahead, it is essential to consider how civility is part of freedom. Instead of focusing on differences, put time into seeking what is similar. Look at how the candidates will represent each community member and not work to create further division. The community deserves a middle where each member can be heard, and decisions can be made that build up and support all.
Dan Barker, Master of Human Resources Management, is a local human resources consultant and the chair of the Bonneville County Democratic Central Committee.