Dear Editor: Picture a Clock

Dear Editor,

Thank you to Barbara Lien for your Letter to the Editor published in the April 2nd Ledger. Upon reading the letter and noting her mention of the name Whitehall Indivisible, I recognize an ongoing situation that has persisted for years and gradually worsened by enhancing the false division between members of both parties. Unfortunately, politicians have used that misunderstanding to their own advantage while running for office.

When I read the letter and saw that she had brought up the name of Whitehall Indivisible as coming from the Pledge of Allegiance, it told me something that had been happening, misunderstanding and not differences.

When she described the meetings as being progressive, I agreed with that term. But progressive does not mean socialism.

Oxford Languages define Progressive as: "Happening or developing gradually or in stages; proceeding step by step." Conservative simply means adverse to change. These meetings belong to both Progressives and Conservatives.

While attending high school in Kalispell, MT, I took a class called Government. I distinctly remember an illusion the teacher used in describing political parties.

Picture a clock describing the two parties as 12:00 being no difference in belief. As you go left to 11:00, you end up with a minor shift to the left while 1:00 represents a minor shift to the right. Consider these as slightly Progressive and slightly Conservative. As you progress to the left, say 9:00 you approach a more socialist belief in Government while 3:00 represents a farther advance towards totalitarianism. But here is where few recognize the truth. When you hit 6:00 both left and right are the same.

Both represent control by the Government in all asp[ecs of our lives. Both sides have thrown out the constitution with the all-important Bill of Rights: We now have Communism or Dictatorship. Both represent the loss of personal freedom and rights.

Unfortunately, what happens (with prodding of politicians) is the two parties look at each other at being 7:00 or 5:00 while almost no people reside at those extremes. And few if any want to see 6:00 happen. It's not surprising why one of the greatest fears of the Founding Fathers was the formation of political parties. Their hope was that future generations could solve that problem.

I define myself as a Progressive Conservative (or a Conservative Progressive, if you prefer) and I firmly believe that the vast majority of Americans picture themselves the same way. Maybe a little more left or right but we have a lot more in common than differences.

The anger and frustration between Republicans and Democrats is not reality. We all value freedom and the rights spelled out in the Constitution. Neither wish to see 6:00.

We face a challenge as a society today that is greater than past generations. The growth of opinionated talk shows whose ideas can be proven on the internet and backed by television news programs that are more infomercial than news makes it difficult to understand what is real or not. Our responsibility as citizens is to take the time and effort to determine the truth.

Look at the problems that we face today that are solvable without wrecking our society: massive debt, Social Security, ect. can all be solved by working together instead of demanding that there is only one way or the other as the only solution.

Social Security, as an example ,shows how compromise could readily solve potential problems in funding.

1. 1:00 Conservative; Add 3 years before Qualifying for Eligibility.

2. 11:00 Progressive; Add $1.000,000 to amount taxed for Social Security before ending taxation.

3. Agreement not reached.

1. Conservative; Add 1 year before Qualifying for Eligibility

2. 11:00 Progressive; Add $400,000 to amount taxed for Social Security before ending taxation.

3. Agreement not reached (example using estimated numbers).

I believe that the United States has been the best country to live in since its creation nearly 250 years ago. We have our faults and always will have them, but if we work together, we can continue to improve our lives and influence the rest of the world in what we believe is the best government.

I started this letter with a thank you to Barbara Lien for the letter she wrote to the editor. She wrote that Whitehall Indivisible is a Progressive organization, and it is. But what was left off on her letter is the fact that it's a conservative organization. It is neither liberal nor right wing. It is progressive/conservative and searching for solutions to radical divisions taking place in the United States.

The last thing that any of us wants, attending Whitehall Indivisible meetings over the last two weeks, is destroying the country that we love. Reaching 6:00 pm will destroy what we have. It is simply a recognition pof problems that have been recently created. The solution does not lie in political extremes. It can only be solved through Progressive/Conservatism, which is what that organization represents. Iti open to all and all are welcome.

Sincerely,

DAVID TORGERSON

Whitehall, Montana