To the Editor:

The older I get, and I’m 78, the more I realize what I think I know and believe may not be true. Until recently, the term “tribalism” was not part of my political vocabulary. I thought that compromise was the key to good government. But now I’m not so sure. Instead of a middle ground, there’s only the high ground, which the ruling party claims for themselves.

Another term that’s new to me is “fake news.” It has become the mantra for those who refuse to recognize any facts that contradict what they want to be true. I believed that what is observable, what the vast majority of learned people and scientists agree upon, in other words, what can be shown to be true, should not be called lies or ignored.

Most discouraging to me is the willingness of our elected officials to forego their sworn oath — to defend the Constitution — in order to achieve the goals of their political party. They readily swallow honesty, decency, and morality in order to receive the voting support of the radical minority and the financial support of the right-wing super wealthy in their bid for re-election.

Immediate self-gratification and greed have over balanced the scales of justice. No longer does empathy for the poor, the sick, and the downtrodden affect our current government’s decisions. No longer is the physical and mental health of all our citizens paramount in determining their actions.

No longer are clean air and water, the growth of our national debt, the effects of global warming, taken into account in their planning. Now it’s what’s best for those that rule and not what’s best for the masses. From changes in the tax code to de-regulation, they think only of themselves and the present, not of others and the future.

What is happening has cut off the legs of this old man. In the past year, much of what I hold dear has been steadily chopped away. The road I travel is approaching its end. What I worry most about is the road the future generation will travel. We must unite in our resistance and change the current direction of this road.

Charles Rielly

Altamont