“Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” These are the now famous words spoken by Ronald Reagan on 12 June 1987 in Berlin. I miss “The Great Communicator!” I miss the time when politicians worked across the aisle, fought it out in the Capitol, and then went to dinner together because they genuinely liked and respected each other. I miss when legislation was actually written by the people we elect instead of special interest groups, when laws were focused on one issue and every word was read by the Legislature before a vote was taken. I miss having a smaller government, lower taxes, balanced budgets without deficit spending, and the Federal government understanding that there are three distinct branches that have very specific functions that were established to prevent tyranny. I miss the time when we did not have a 24-hour news cycle that requires political pundits to deliver their opinions disguised as news; when we had news anchors who had one hour to deliver the facts, and only the facts and people had polite discourse and valued the differing opinions of others. I miss the time when history was the greatest lesson of how to move forward to create a better world; when we worked together for the common good; when work ethic and personal integrity were valued; when prayer, family values, and patriotism were the “gold standard.” Sierra County, we are so good at coming together as a community and helping each other in a time of need. I’d love to see us build a political “grass roots” bridge – identify the things we can agree on and work together from our very different perspectives to find a palatable middle ground for improvement. We have everything to gain by learning from our differences. I can be reached at GoldNuggetRWF@gmail.com and will respond to all respectful comments.