People not partisans

This election cycle has deeply divided our country. I find this truly disturbing and completely counterproductive. There are serious divisions not only between the two major parties, but within them as well. Half the country is elated with giving Washington a candidate perceived as a change agent. The other half is in disbelief, shock and pain. Many people of color and religions outside of white Anglo-Saxons and Christianity are afraid; our economy sputters; our bridges and roads crumble; our challenges - physically and emotionally - mount exponentially.

As a caring citizen, I don't want to see our leaders fight. I want to see them FIX our deep divide and socio-economic problems. I am appalled when I see our representatives refuse to deal with an issue or adjourn for months without solving the main problems of the day. As a former small business owner, I did not go home when the going got tough. I had to compromise, work through differences and come up with the best possible solution. In short, I had to do my job. Government has to have this same attitude. Our elected officials must be held accountable to work together and find compromise across the aisle to end the government gridlock.

My desire to see problems solved is why I am exploring ways to make my voice heard in Washington.

This is why I am interested in http://www.nolabels.org.

This group is composed of Republicans, Democrats, Independents - affiliates of all parties are welcome.

No Labels calls for fixing over fighting and for solving problems through a process that starts with shared goals.

Agreeing to a goal (job creation, Social Security solvency, addressing climate change, health coverage for all to name a few); then negotiating the details necessary to achieve the goal is a smart process that works.

America's leaders need to adopt this approach.

They must not be allowed to hold smart solutions hostage for partisan purposes any longer.

What is No Labels? I quote from their website:

"In December of 2010 over 1,000 citizens from each of the 50 states gathered in New York to launch a movement - No Labels was founded that day as a way of channeling the nation's frustration with the Beltway's idea of business as usual into a productive effort to change D.C.'s way of doing things, while offering dozens of constructive solutions to the nation's problems along the way.

Since then, No Labels has been working to bring a new politics of goals-focused problem solving to our government.

While many outside political groups are working to push our leaders apart, No Labels was the first organization to call on our leaders to come together to focus on fixing America's most pressing problems.

No Labels has never called for people to entirely shed their party affiliations.

"As long as they are intellectually honest, we respect conservatives, liberals, and anyone in between who has a sincere desire to address the nation's problems. No Labels supports a diversity of viewpoints; we think it's one of America's strengths."

No Labels has researched consensus goals that are important to the majority of Americans and compiled them into a National Strategic Agenda. Now our leaders need to acknowledge these areas of agreement and commit to the hard work of negotiating the policy details needed for action to reach these goals.

Leaders in Congress from both parties must be held accountable by we the people who put them in their jobs, to work together and with our President toward achieving our shared goals for America.

I urge every American to step forward and be part of the solution for our country. Demand our representatives in government work together and find compromise and solutions to better the lives of all Americans and the world. Make your voice heard be it through No Labels or another avenue. Make our government do its job.