I had a much different editorial completely written and ready to send to the press this week. But as I always do, once I complete anything I’ve written, be it editorial, feature, news or sports, I re-read it, more than once. And as this one played back in my mind while I went about the other things I did over the next couple of days, something kept telling me: “there’s a better message—there’s a more obvious way to say it.”
If you know me or read this column with any regularity, you know who I support in this election. And I could give you plenty of detailed reasons why I’ve made the choice I have. But when I think about it, this is what I really want people to know and consider.
I am tired of all the constant negativity and hatred. I’m tired of wondering who’s going to be the next targeted group of people to be disparaged. I’m sick of hearing lies and rhetoric that do nothing but promote hate, fear and push us all apart.
I’ve never felt America wasn’t great. No, it’s not perfect but we have, and always have had, the ability to sit down and negotiate in good faith, and I believe that is still the best way to approach our problems. We can’t do that when people are constantly pitted against each other by those who are supposed to be leaders. And leaders cannot do that when they cannot trust each other.

I want a government body that doesn’t worship one person. I want a government body that believes in freedom and honoring what the majority wants. I want leaders that value all people regardless of gender, race or age, religion or sexual preference as our constitution promotes. I want the people I elect to respect the law, our courts and their decisions. I want the people I elect to be respectable themselves; to show me they have those attributes by their words and their deeds, past and present.
I want leaders that demonstrate the wisdom to know who our enemies truly are and are trustworthy with the information and weapons to keep our country safe from the dictators of the world.
We don’t have to make America great again. We have to make lying wrong again.
I love this country. I believe in the words of our Constitution and The Bill of Rights. And I want my children and my grandchildren to grow up and live in a place they can be proud of like my generation has. I want to see families share all the good things there are about living in a free country where we treat each other with dignity and respect no matter who they are.
We all have the right to decide what we want. I’m just hoping that when people mark that ballot, they put all the noise and hype aside and really think about what’s at stake in this election.
If we don’t, it may very well be our last.