In recent years we all have seen the vitriolic finger-pointing, extreme partisanship and posturing by members from both sides of the aisle. In my humble opinion, Congress gets a free ride.

While each member may bring home the pork, is this always in the best interest of our country? Another problem is the single interest groups, both left and right, who are very loud and obnoxious. While their numbers are small in comparison with the overall population of voters, their ability to get the attention of the media gives them the power of tyranny of the minority.

There is no question that President Bush made mistakes, but he was also confronted with several very catastrophic events that he had no control, including 9/11 and Katrina. Regarding Katrina, a plan was in place that might have been less tragic had the mayor of New Orleans acted in a more positive manner. One example was not mobilizing methods of evacuating people much more quickly. President Bush was demonized by the media and all of his detractors.

Unfortunately, the American public is exposed to so much propaganda that it is difficult to determine who is telling the truth and who is lying or spinning the fact to fit their opinion. Most people either don’t care or don’t have the time to really study the issues.

While I did not vote for President Obama and do not agree with a lot of his policies, I am willing to see how he does perform. Especially if he can get our legislature’s and the American public to become more civil and respectful to each other, even if they disagree.

Paul Bovey

Oak Harbor