Tit for tat

By Bill Shepard

“Tit for tat, you kick my dog, I’ll kick your cat!”

How many of you readers have ever heard the above lines? I could not begin to guess at the number of times I heard them spoken when I was a boy. I spoke them myself when I was a boy, and often! I have no idea of their origin, but they sound like mill-village talk to me.

Here is another: “The pot can’t call the kettle black!” Ever hear that one?

Still another: “There is so much good in all of us, and so much bad in all of us, it doesn’t pay any of us to talk about or criticize the rest of us!” That’s really good!

I feel like applying each of the above old sayings to both political parties in Washington!

Our government has reached an all-time low! When will our politicians wake up and realize what they are doing to our image around the world?

It is long past time for the bickering, complaining, accusing and finger-pointing to end.

America’s image around the world and here at home is suffering and both political parties should be ashamed! I really believe that I am expressing the sentiments of many.

I have lived a long time. I have lived under many administrations, dating back as far as Harding, Coolidge, Hoover and on to Trump.

I have never witnessed the lack of respect among politicians as is seen and heard today.

We elected a president! The people went to the voting booths and expressed their right to vote and did so. Mr. Trump’s election was truly an upset!

He ran against the odds, but when the votes were counted, Mr. Trump was the winner!

Since being in office he has done some things that I totally agree with and some that I do not like, but that has been true of them all.

I recall the years of the Hoover administration. Times were hard as nails!

Starvation, in many places, stalked the land like a hungry wolf, and President Hoover was handed the blame for the suffering that was at hand.

Jokes were told expressing the hardships of the times, but never the disrespect of the president who occupied the White House!

In all my years I had never heard of a president being so shamefully and wrongly blamed as President Hoover until Mr. Trump was elected.

No, I did not vote for Mr. Trump, and I feel that much of the criticism he has received could have been avoided if he had acted differently, but history will have its say about all that!

As to the now, the men who were elected, both Republicans and Democrats need to come together, swallow their pride if they need to, and begin the healing process between the two parties.

There might still be time, but it is getting late! If we continue on the course we are traveling, I hate to think of what could happen!

Fast speed ahead to the next election. Suppose a Democrat is elected!

Does anyone think that the members of the Republican Party will accept and treat him or her with open arms? Remember – “Kick my dog, I’ll kick your cat!”

Another four years of “payback” and the nation goes on suffering.

Our great nation faces many difficult challenges today. At best it will take years of hard work to address these challenges. It needs to start with our people and our politicians making an effort to “meet in the middle.”

Americans can do it; they always have!

Then we can begin to accomplish the tasks before us! The world is watching and waiting to see what happens.

Author: Stephan Drew

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