To the editor:

Dirty politics at the federal level may be unavoidable, but it can be fought at the state level and all but beaten locally.

Most political candidates start out with good intentions, but human nature can lead them to become overly competitive. When that happens this important political process becomes a game, and when we don’t push back the better mudslinger is too often the winner. Those types are very hard to vote out later.

Stereotyping politicians as being “all the same” along with being corrupt, evil and so on is dangerous and counter-productive. It’s a turn off to many people who would make for good capable candidates, and it can lead to disillusionment for those who still do enter the political process. The longer that line of thinking is prevalent in American politics, the more genuinely bad actors we’ll find ourselves with and the easier they’ll rise.

A person’s national ideology doesn’t always correlate with their actions at lower levels. With regards to local government, I’ve seen staunch Republicans embrace “liberal” ideas and I’ve run into Democrats you’d swear were libertarians. The lower you go, the more it’s about what actually works and the less Washington can steer the proceedings.

This Fall, don’t lose sight of the fact that these candidates are your neighbors and human beings. Don’t be a keyboard warrior, don’t overdo the memes and don’t treat the political process like a sporting event. Pick the person, not the letter next to their name.

Justin Myers

Fort Dodge