I grew up in the country, the San Joaquin Valley of California to be exact. My parents, George and Gladys Todd, were not very political. Like most of the Valley they claimed the Republican Party to be their own. However, when it came to voting, which they did regularly, the ballot may or may not show that. For instance, they voted for Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) every time he ran.

You see, FDR, was a hero. In the throes of “The Great Depression” he did something about it. He created possibility where there was nothing but gloom and doom. A good portion of my classmates in elementary school were escapees of the “Dust Bowl.” That being the victims of the drought that swept Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas and Kansas and spilled over to surrounding areas.

They were farmers for the most part and came to California to see if this “dreamland” was a reality. They walked, hitched rides and drove whatever vehicle they could manage to find with their worldly possessions strapped to the top. They were not welcomed with open arms but, instead, beaten, robbed and taken advantage of at every turn. To them, work and food on the table was worth any abuse.

I was just a kid, but they were my friends and I know that what we did together on the athletic field and in the gym was the highlight of their life. One of them, a teammate from the 6th grade on, lived in a shack (that’s probably too kind) with a dirt floor until his sophomore year in school. And, of course, there were my Japanese friends who got the priviledge of spending their early years in an internment camp in Arizona. A tale for another day.

Back to FDR … he, with the help of his fellow politicians, created projects that allowed people to earn their keep, as my Dad would say. When I was born, my Dad was driving a tractor for a neighboring farmer for 19 cents per hour. Put in an easy 12 hour day and you had a take-home pay of $2.28. And, it was good as long as there was more field to plow. Yes, I know that amount could buy much more than today, but not that much.

My point is, we came out of that because actions were taken and most everyone was working together to get it done. Of course, Germany and Japan cooperated nicely by starting a World War to bolster the economy. I know I was just a kid, but I was there and aware of the circumstances and what it took to alter them.

What I see today in the circus of election season are politicians spending millions of dollars to get elected and then spending the rest of their time in office making sure the other party doesn’t get any credit for doing anything, and figuring out how they can “look good” enough to get re-elected in the process. Having different points of view is, of course, healthy. Without the willingness to channel those points of view into actions that actually have our major issues disappear is failing the only country we have. It is everyone’s country, warts and all, and there is nothing we can’t resolve together.

The political circus that is election time is failing and has been for a long time. Since Ronald Reagan used his training as an actor and his television presentation to be elected, it has become media circus. No one can be elected these days without training in that area. Does any candidate really speak straight or do they say what they think will be the most popular and acceptable idea to gather votes?

You can say they need to do that to get elected. I get that. Wouldn’t it be nice if they did something after they got elected? If we identified the Top Five issues and the President could choose the Top Seven experts in each regardless of race, color, creed, political affiliation, etc. … I’d give them three weeks and they would have them solved. But, that would be way to simple. Shame on us. When you truly love someone or something you don’t treat them the way we treat our country and the people in it.

When you get a chance, take a peek at the bookstore for Coach Todd’s books on being a high performer in your life and the lives of others.