Letters to the editor: We need change, examination in politics

In this season of election ramp-up, the party differences articulate the value of servant leadership.

The elected officials and political activists should not focus solely on the immediate issues to achieve short-term gains without preparing for unintended consequences. When elected officials are using descriptive statistics to support a claim without fully vetting the information, the statistics are used to score political points among the base or cause fear.

Recently, elected officials seeking other offices have been claiming to do something about the raising crime rates without pausing to consider alternative options that may have longer-term results. Again, this is a knee-jerk reaction and done to score political points among the base. One could argue that elected officials who continue seeking elected office after a term or two are no longer looking out for others, but seeking to protect their self-interests to remain in elected office.

It is my hope that we do not allow officials “hired” through elections to dictate what religions and faiths are only acceptable in this country/state. This country was built on the right to religion and most of the founding fathers were Quakers. Individual rights being taken away because we continue to allow our “hired” officials’ personal faith to become the central theme to legislating, versus enhancing one’s community and diversity.

As the baby boomers do not want to pass on the “torch” to the next generation(s), we need to transition and move into a supporting role to the next generation or skip an entire generation to bring new energy into the conversation.

I would encourage individuals seeking reelection to answer these questions: What were your top priorities when you first were elected, and why have you not achieved those priorities in a term or two? Elected office was not supposed to be a career.

John Peura, Moose Lake