To The Reader’s Forum:

Those in attendance at the recent Town Hall Meeting in Gerry hosted by Senator Borrello appreciated the time he spent answering questions. Asked about the divisiveness in government, the Senator stated he works “across the aisle” to reach compromises on various issues. This is important, appreciated and we hope it continues with all local, state and federal government officials.

Many of us would like to see more effort put into ensuring the speech patterns and words used during presentations and in written communications also work towards eliminating discord. Saying we want to work together and then mocking and insulting others while using adjectives that incite acrimony hardly is a pathway to collaborative behavior – yet that is what we see and hear on a regular basis.

Instead of belittling the efforts of the other party, I would like to see all government officers state the problem and focus on what they see as solutions. Instead of every sentence including a “they” pronoun followed by a generalization scorning what has been done or what is being proposed by the other party, skip the insulting, hurtful comments and give us the research that is being done on the problem, review the options being considered, and even ask local experts for help.

We teach children not to put someone else down just to make themselves feel better and adults need to model that behavior. Presentations that contain facts and solutions, without mockery and words that provoke more disagreements, give constituents encouragement that their policymakers are talking and listening to each other, not just trying to vilify the “other guy”.

With current elections upon us and the Presidential elections so close, wouldn’t it be delightful to hear candidates talk about the issues instead of each other?

Carol Hay

Jamestown