This is to congratulate Dusty Rhoades on his excellent, insightful column on what it REALLY means to be a liberal –– a label I proudly wear. Since moving to this area four years ago, my wife and I have been consistently astounded at the continuous stream of vitriolic letters to the editor about Democratic politicians and any principles that approach liberal thinking. We do not have such animus toward those who do not think as we do.

The history of this country holds many great lessons. We have achieved greatness by uniquely being open to new ideas and embracing change, welcoming and respecting people of diverse backgrounds, rejecting powerful politicians who challenged the democratic principles embedded in the Constitution (e.g., Nixon, Joe McCarthy), and consciously being a partner in the larger world community.

As this community begins to, hopefully, finally acknowledge that we face many quality-of-life challenges that cannot be solved within individual local government jurisdictions, it may be useful to reflect on some of the qualities of –– dare I say it? –– liberalism cited in Mr. Rhoades column: favoring progress and reform, open-minded, generous toward others, unselfish. These qualities need to apply to our public governance and community service processes as much as they do to our interactions with individuals.

It is time for this community to move beyond the petty bickering and even personal slandering that too often have characterized the local public and political dialogue.