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When Barack Obama was campaigning for president, he said, in no uncertain terms, that he would transform this country. This made me extremely nervous as I thought America was the land of equal opportunity but not necessarily equal outcomes.  Obama’s positions on public policies, especially healthcare, were very troubling to me.  And, as a business owner, expensive!  His policies would have a significant impact on my business and our company’s bottom line.   While Obama was President, I did the best I could with the policies, taxes, and regulations imposed by his administration.  I had to come to realize that whether I liked it or not, Obama was the President.  And, yes, he was my president.  To me, it was going to be a long four years.  I had no ...

According to definitions.net, “civil discourse is engagement in discourse intended to enhance understanding.” Kenneth J. Gergen describes civil discourse as “the language of dispassionate objectivity,” and suggests that it requires respect of the other participants, such as the reader. “It neither diminishes the other’s moral worth, nor questions their good judgment; it avoids hostility, direct antagonism, or excessive persuasion; it requires modesty and an appreciation for the other participant’s experiences.” (www.definitions.net, 8/4/19). Social media is anything but social. It has encouraged anonymous posts that are full of anger, disrespect, rancor and ignorance. Let’s have a conversation begin with sincere listening to one another’s side of the issue. Let’s thoughtfully point out...

At age 16, Washington had hand copied 110 rules on civility and decent behavior, originally attributed to a 12-year-old boy. While some might be relegated to the arcane and silly, the spirit of the majority of the rules was the code of politeness and respect for other people. It is the essence of the Golden Rule; to do unto others as you would have them do unto you.  In the words of Scripture, the second great commandment, is to love thy neighbor as thy self.   Where is this virtue in our culture and political discourse today? While it is alive and well in our churches and synagogues on Saturday and Sunday, it is possibly being administered the last rights in the civil discourse of our national politics, the media coverage, and the streets of America.  Most of us dese...