Great post. The division in this country is truly alarming. As a veteran who has been all over Europe, parts of Africa, the Caribbean, and Central and South America I still believe in what President Reagan once said, that you can take all of our problems and multiply them, and we still have it better than anyone else.

The biggest things that bother me are that we have lost our ability to agree to disagree, put party above best interests of the country at all costs, and we have lost our sense of humor.

In many ways, we are quickly becoming what me and my fellow veterans served to protect us from. There are many reasons for this, and there is plenty of blame to go around on both sides.

I for one, would like to see an end to career politicians who have basically wormed their way into what amounts to life-time jobs. Too many now see Congress not as a way to serve our country but as a pathway to becoming a millionaire. That is not what our founders intended.

And I agree that local elections are very important. I would add that people need to actually research and read about their candidates before actually voting for them, that would be a great start.

I still believe that we are the greatest country in the world. And yes, I believe in American exceptionalism. We are already great. We just need to get back to the reasons for this and remember that we are all Americans first, and are in this together as one.