It is a sad state of affairs around here.  People in our great country are busy fighting with each other over issues better settled with constructive discussions than violence.  Bullying has become a way of life in our seats of government.

            How can we teach younger people that bullying is wrong when they see it on the news and in their own town halls?

            "My way or the highway" is not the way to make friends and get along with others.  "They did it first" is not an acceptable reason to launch your own vile response to a verbal or social media attack.  Expressing sound reason and foolproof logic is.

            It seems that people's sense of entitlement has exploded to heights never seen before by the average citizen.  Class is not on display when officials flex their perceived, political muscle to coerce others into their mindset.  Leaving civility behind, closed-door gatherings fuel gang-like mentalities among leaders and do nothing to earn the confidence of the public.

            With the election coming up soon, voters should demand that candidates promise to do the business of the people in front of the people, not behind closed doors meant to keep you out.  If they won't promise to do that, then they are not deserving of your vote.

            There are exceptions but, they are just that – exceptions.  Having a private, out of the public view meeting more than twice a year spikes the public's suspicions about what is really going on away from their eyes and ears.  What decisions are being made?  The answer should be none – they must be made in public.

            All this feeds the notion that elected officials are untouchable and have reached their own form of nirvana via entitlement by position.

            Earlier this week, in response to his own experience with recent verbal attacks and bullying over the construction of a new Upper Perkiomen Middle School Middle School, Upper Hanover Township Supervisors' Chair Gene Fried was quoted as saying ""You should all be ashamed … I don't want it to happen again."  He was right.  It would be especially disturbing if any elected officials or hired administrators were involved in those verbal attacks or bullying.

            Sadly, Fried is not the lone recipient of community negativity.

            All elected officials would do well to heed the logic of Supervisor Ben Fiorito, who explained that the role of every official is to vote on each proposed development based on its own merits, not for or against any specific developer and that his personal opinion on the need for a school has nothing to do with his vote.

            Regarding the words of Fried and Fiorito, we know them because they were said at a public meeting, in front of the public – which could have included some of the offenders. 

            Too many of our local officials, as well as many of our residents, have become a disappointment on the community stage.  The same is true for too many residents.

            Go to a public meeting.  Address the issue. Ask your question. Say what you have to say and do what you have to do.  But, officials and constituents must do it with civility.

            Let's all try to clean up our act.