I am an unaffiliated voter and will ever cast my vote for whom I feel is most qualified for the job. In addition to policies I agree with, I look for integrity and honesty; character traits my parents modeled throughout my life.

Dear Neighbor, 

Even though I have voted since I was 18, I have not really been political until this past summer. I have never attended a rally, made a sign, written postcards and letters or called elected officials until this past summer. While handing out books in a local parade, I observed behavior that lit a fire in me that I cannot put out! The event that lit me up was as follows. I was handing a book to a young child when his adult yanked him back and sneered “we don’t take things from those people”.  “Those people” were walking with me behind a vehicle loaded with Democratic candidate signs. It wasn’t just that one incident – there were also nasty comments. I was shocked. I had never been referred to as “one of those people.” Then it occurred to me just how ugly we can be when we are divided politically. 

I am an unaffiliated voter and will ever cast my vote for whom I feel is most qualified for the job. In addition to policies I agree with, I look for integrity and honesty; character traits my parents modeled throughout my life. I was taught to treat all people with respect so I was typically for the underdog and would actively confront bullies when they picked on those who were unable to defend themselves. I pride myself on being able to look for the goodness in all people. Perhaps this is the most disconcerting trait I have right now, because there are a few people I cannot find much goodness in. 

In my life, there have been several times when I was forced to admit a mistake after attempting to cover it up. Like the time I took too much construction paper in second grade and my mom made me take it back and confess to my teacher – even though I had permission to take some, just not as much as I took. Recently when I cited the Signalgate mistake I got into a debate about whether it was a big deal. My question was that if it wasn’t a big deal, why didn’t those involved just admit it was a mistake? I conclude it was because they knew it WAS a big deal that damages our reputation with the rest of the world. 

In 2025 I frequently find myself in debates with people about worries I have about government actions. I refuse to narrow my concerns into the political sides of being a  democrat or republican and desperately strive to not think in terms of “those people.”

For me it is a much larger issue – it’s about having a moral compass, empathy for others and a desire to consider what is good for the entire country. The fire that stokes my concerns, and often disgust, is the lack of morals I observe in our leaders.

“Dear Neighbor” authors are united in a belief that civility and passion can coexist. We believe curiosity and conversation make us a better community.