Good Manners

The spirit of the holidays is now upon us. Yet even though we have so much to be grateful for, our people continue to find themselves deeply divided. It’s not as pronounced where I live because of demographic similarities. I live in a place where similar views impact a very wide range of subjects. In this environment, it would be rather difficult to offer an unpopular or contrary viewpoint without inviting, shall we say, some hassles. As the old saying goes, “be careful not to invite that which bothers you”.

I sit here typing this with a business card from a national leader of the Sons of the American Revolution in front of me. I am considering joining their organization. I’m also considering the Mayflower Society, so this is something for me to think about. The Declaration of Independence was signed by one of my ancestors, Samuel Huntington. Our first ancestor to the New World preceded Samuel by one hundred and fifty-six years, arriving on the Mayflower in 1620. My family has a very long history in the colonies, and we've fought in every major conflict our nation has had; including my own service with the US Army.

Unlike military service, I’ve been cognizant that there have been some who have questioned the motivations of a person who chooses political office. I find many people take a dim view of anybody who serves in political office, and this seems to be a default position. I was introduced to that concept one fine day when I mentioned my interest in political office to somebody I admired, in hopes to gather some advice and wisdom. When that person asked why I’d care to denigrate myself and lower myself to join such a dishonorable club of miscreants, I was blown away. It never occurred to me that there would be any exploitation or self-enrichment.

Going on six years now, with tours as Deputy Mayor and Councilor in two different municipalities, I’ve seen different sides of similar issues several times. Ironically, there has been no enrichment and, as a matter of curiosity, I've kept close track of time spent in service and have estimated that council remuneration does not enrich someone. It is, instead, a function that probably returns a net between two and four dollars per hour, sometimes less, but never more. In fairness, I thought people might like to know that bit of trivia. If there are some politicians lining their pockets somehow, I have no idea how they do it.

I tend to focus on what is best for our constituents and the local economy. I like to support the economic development arena with enthusiasm. Kind of like instant replay, my default position is to say yes unless there are obvious reasons why something should not take place. Whether right or wrong, when the decision has been taken, that’s our direction. Sometimes there will be people who want to have decisions rehashed and, in some cases, they will fight for recognition of their views long after decisions have been taken.

The art of being able to move forward, with each other, is important. The difference between a political leader and a private citizen is that the political leader makes their decision in the public eye. They must be prepared to have their decision blasted by those who disagree whereas the private citizen is not required to make any pronouncement on dicey matters, thereby shielding themselves from the anger of those whose views align differently.

This all brings us full circle to the anger we have in our society. As the anger grows, the ability to express an opinion freely is diminished until finally, there are no dissenting opinions. Fear of retribution for honestly and openly discussing important issues is a powerful influence. While the current day issues come and go and leaders change, we should always keep an eye on the health of our core values of liberty and freedom. Allowing people to express themselves without fear of humiliation is important. It is an essential ingredient of our form of government; it’s also good manners.