All information we hear and read is filtered by the experiences of our own lives and the reliability of the source that provides the information. I have for years read the opinion pieces in the Summit Daily News, always considering all the different opinions and knowing they are written through the filter of the author.

My own filter says, “Watch what a person does — not what he says — if you really want to understand the person.” After reading the last three opinion pieces written by Morgan Liddick, I am convinced that he is paying much more attention to what is being said than what is factually being done.

Liddick says Republicans “believe America is an exceptional nation; that all are created equal with God-given unalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; that America should be strong, secure and prosperous …” I believe all of these statements; however, that is not the reality I see. 

Liddick says Democrats see an America that is “shot through with racism, poverty, hopelessness, despair and the deadly virus …” This is the reality I see.

I simply ask, “Under whose leadership has that happened?” Should I believe what is said and promised? I prefer to believe the action and lack of action that I see. Under the leadership of Donald Trump, we have been led away from the ideals expressed by the Republican Party. 

Our country has never been more divided. Our society has long been a group of people loyal to their political party because we believed in the principles it espoused. I believe we have reached a point where we have to look at today’s reality and decide if you want more of the same. It is time to erase D or R and vote for the America we want to see.