Once upon a time there were real political differences in my lifetime ,but there was a high degree of respect and concern for the common good.It seems to me we have lost our way, and have let political certainty keep us from listening to each other. There is great benefit in diverse opinions and strong convictions but they are of little value if we shut our minds and hearts to alternatives.There is flux and sparks over social issues and it often comes to the point where all we do is shout at each other. I hope there is some common ground that needs to be discussed without holding on to our sacred cows. Americans work, pray and live with all sorts of people ,and by and large they do it in harmony. We need to tell our elected officials to stop exercising their blind adherence to stone positions ,and realize that on many of the critical issues they are NOT representing their constituencies. There are areas of common ground for the majority. We want better schools,safe bridges, jobs and an energy policy that is not owned by the fossil fuel barons.In the movie we saw years ago a crazed man opens a window and shouts”I will not take this anymore.”It is time to open our minds to each other and shout with our votes and our money”We are tired of this and will not stand for it anymore.”