It was the late 70s, and the American bald eagle was on the verge of extinction and placed on the endangered species list. I remember thinking at the time that I had never seen a bald in the wild and questioned whether I ever would.

Well, the bald eagle has become one of those great American comeback stories and is no longer on the endangered list. Locally, it seems a week doesn’t go by without hearing about sightings of the amazing creature. I appreciate all those who have reached out to me to inform me of seeing them up and down the West Branch Valley. And yes, I finally got to see the American bald eagle in the wild on several occasions. The most impressive was a pair of bald eagles I witnessed near Rose Valley Lake. They are truly an amazing and majestic bird, and I can understand why our forefathers chose the species as a symbol of America. It’s much better than the wild turkey Ben Franklin wanted.

With all the bad news and negativity lately, I think it’s important to recognize how blessed we are to live in the greatest Nation on Earth. The absolute freedom we enjoy, along with the standard of living we have grown accustomed to that can be found nowhere else. When Americans come together, I honestly believe there’s no problem that can’t be solved. Over the course of our history, we’ve been faced with some pretty difficult obstacles to overcome. But we have returned to soar just like the bald eagle.

Obviously, today’s world is a much more complex and dangerous place than in the past. There has never been a time when “We the People” needed stronger leadership and direction from those in Washington, and I’m not talking about just the President.

My concerns seem to be the same as many of you that reach out to me, and they transcend political affiliation. There are so many issues that currently need to be addressed; I don’t have enough pages to cover them. But number one on the top of everybody’s list seems to be our children, and not only their safety at school, but in the world, we live in today.

I wish I had an answer to share with you or even a hypothesis. But the one thing I know is “We the People” must come together to solve this problem. It is nothing that’s going to be legislated away by government or one-party can fix on their own.

Our Nation seems to be at a point in history where “We the People” are divided more than ever. I blame a lot of this on the media and the way things are reported; it’s like they want to create a division. No matter what political affiliation, Americans are concerned about the same problems and want solutions. The important thing is that we don’t become divided, and we demand our elected officials to work together for the common good. Somewhere this has been lost in today’s world.

I know social media has created a world in which you can say pretty much anything. However, what I hear on television that is to be comical or political satire has stepped far out of bounds — and again, creates division.

I remember “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson”, and how he would humorously joke about President Gerald Ford. It usually had to do with his lack of coordination. Of course, David Letterman and Jay Leno — talk show hosts of the time — always had some presidential tomfoolery. But what goes on today is just flat out nasty and derogatory toward President Trump and others, including the First Lady. Sure they try to hide it behind political satire and humor, but it’s done purely with a political ax to grind. The problem is, it’s not just late night TV anymore; it seems to be whatever program wants to take shots at the president feel free to do so. Believe me; you won’t find a bigger believer in the freedom of speech, however, when does this freedom cross the line and become more divisive than good?

That’s where it’s up to “We the People” to not allow our Nation to become divided by those that may have an alternative agenda. We have to be smart enough to demand the coming together of parties in decision-making that is best for the whole Nation.

President Barack Obama had two terms if you look at what he accomplished it was pretty much what he campaigned on. At no time did he receive the opposition that President Trump has been faced with. As I said, after Mr. Trump was elected it was important for our elected officials to work together to improve and address problems. With the problems currently facing our Nation, the parties must work together and not allow outside influences to divide. Compromise is as old as our country. It is the backbone of democracy.

“We the People” are the most important part of democracy, and we must hold all accountable for the future of our Great Nation. Thank God for the wonderful Nation we are blessed to live in and ask Him for the wisdom to help solve our problems. We must put our children first — they are our future.

God Bless America.