EDITOR:

Delta County Unified is striving to bring civility back to political discourse and a sense of community back to our county. Whether you are a Democrat, a Republican, or an Independent, there are a few basic things we can all agree on. We all want affordable housing. We all want affordable food. We all want access to affordable healthcare. And we all want to feel safe in our communities.

If we can agree on these basic premises, we have a commonality that we can begin with. We may disagree on how we achieve these goals, but we now have a starting point for a civil conversation.

Politicians are benefitting from our disagreements. They are using a strategy of divide and conquer. While we are fighting among ourselves, millionaires and corporations are donating millions of dollars to politicians in both parties, enriching the politicians while hurting the average citizens of this country. They buy our elected officials, so that career politicians are more concerned about pleasing their donors than doing what is best for our country.

Podcasters and Talking Heads in mainstream media are also lining their pockets off our political divide. They slant their stories to please their viewers, instead of providing us with unbiased news.

I formed Delta County Unified, because I want our country to return to civil discourse. I want to see our communities looking after one another again, instead of fighting with each other. I want to see family and friends who are divided by politics start speaking to one another again.

I don’t pretend to have all of the answers. But I am certainly willing to listen to suggestions. I am willing to question things, and I am willing to look for solutions.

Leah Belanger

Gladstone