To the editor:

I worry that we may be so frazzled by partisan hostility, pandemic and economic exhaustion, confusion as to the facts, the truth, that many Kansans won’t vote on August 2nd, or will vote against our best interests and the best interests of our state. What is the best choice for Kansas?

We are proud, self-reliant, hard working, practical, generous, and caring people. Whenever I’ve traveled out of state the locals have always said Kansans are friendly, reliable people. I am glad I was born and raised here. Although we’re suffering a painful divide on some political issues and many have extreme loyalty or vivid distrust regarding political “leaders,” I’ve never doubted that we share 90% of all important values and that we would automatically go to each other’s aid, if needed.

Sure, some of us are dyed-in-the wool liberals and others are born-again right wing extremists, at least on wedge issues that have been manipulated by political operatives in both parties to gain power. But almost all of us yearn for a return to Eisenhower-type decency. We’re proud of our state and country and its unique and precious constitutional institutions based on compromise and preserving individual freedom.

We’re conservative by nature. We respect the past, the accomplishments of those who have worked on the problems and opportunities before us, what they’ve learned from their mistakes and their successes. We know better than tearing things down quickly, particularly if we don’t have a better, tried and true solution in hand.

Unfortunately, the fanning of political passions by cable news channels and social networks has created insulated echo chambers that destroy our ability to understand each other. It  has resulted in mad trampling of our democratic institutions and customs of civil discourse that have gotten us this far. We’ve been falling backward for some time now. We need to talk across our differences and find common ground again.

Our values are based on preserving individual choice and freedom so far as is possible without damaging the interests of our overall community or the similar rights of other citizens.

We want individual choice, not government mandates and controls. The proposed amendment of our constitution would take away individual choice and responsibility. It’s critical that we not dismantle the past. Our constitution preserves our freedoms. We don’t want the amendment. Please vote no on August 2nd.

Jay Bremyer

McPherson