I've had people tell me they wish I'd get into politics and run for office. I tell people that I don't have the temperament for politics. Some of what I hear these people say about each other would have me wanting to drive to someone's house and dare them to say it to my face.

What seems to be missing in this country today are people who really care enough about their own message that they can't just get out there and promote it without tearing someone else down. Sure, we all do it during those times when there aren't any elections going on, but once someone decides to run, wouldn't it be refreshing for a politician to just run on their own recognizance?

I hate what's going on with the Democratic Party lately. The polls show that Hillary Clinton is leading, so now the other Democratic candidates are doing and saying exactly the same things about her that they can, because she's the front runner across the board. I know it's not only politics where trying to boost yourself up by trashing someone else occurs, but it's one of the few places where we see and hear it on a national stage. And I don't like it one bit.

Locally, in the Syracuse area, we have one of the biggest elections in many years, for County Legislator. The guy who held the job for about 30 years has finally decided to step aside, so it'll be time for someone new. For an office as big as this one is in our area, thus far it's been the cleanest campaign I can remember in a very long time. Each candidate has been running only on their record and what they believe in, and I have to say that I'm glad I haven't had to hear lots of trash talking leading up to this Tuesday's election because, frankly, it always makes me want to vote against someone rather than for someone. And when that's the case, are we really electing the person most qualified for the job?

I hate national politics, but I vote anyway, mainly because of the local races. The numbers of people for each election keeps going further and further down. When will everyone else learn that they're turning off voters so much that, eventually, only the diehards will be the ones deciding who's leading the nation? And when that happens, there will be no such thing as a moderate anymore.