Over the past few weeks, Vermonters and all of America have been treated to the coarse reality show soap opera called ‘legislative district visits’. One cannot turn on a television or radio without hearing adults shouting down one another in piques of rage. Real or theatrical, it doesn’t matter. Whether it is done from the ‘left’ or from the ‘right’ matters not. What we should all be concerned about is the hijacking of democracy that occurs when civility is discourse is jettisoned in favor of the boorish behaviors more appropriate to the Simpson’s or Roseanne television shows than public policy debates.

For a long time Vermont remained somewhat immune from this nonsense and citizens and elected officials debated contentious issues on local, statewide and national topics. Our very Vermont essence is embodied in our March Town Meetings where a lack of civility or neighborliness was the exception rather than the rule. More recently, Vermont is experiencing an erosion of that culture and we seem to have begun our slide towards the political screeching that characterizes many cable news shows. Last year, the Chamber hosted a forum in South Burlington that explored the blood sport that state politics had become. Many in the audience lamented the change and spoke eloquently about the hard fought policy issues of the past that retained a touch of class. It really is not too late to reverse the trend.

How can we do it? Here are some pretty basic ideas. Political party leaders need to make it clear to their most ardent supporters that obstreperous behavior is unacceptable and will be denounced. Second, all parties must agree that advertising that impugns the reputation of a candidate or that drags a family member into the fray is unacceptable. Select Boards would be well advised to adhere to Robert’s Rules of Order in the execution of town business. Our legislative and executive leaders would be likewise advised to counsel their members to stick with principle and not to stick it to the opponent. Let’s reconstruct the wall that existed between the reporting of factual news and the opinion crammed blogs written by reporters that make some wonder if the news is news or more opinion. Finally, it really can begin with the average citizen. Let’s be mindful of our tone and choice of hot button words. Let’s stay away from alluding to what a person’s motive might be absent anything other than pure speculation. Let’s call our representative on the carpet when they spout off like street corner bullies. Let’s remember what our moms all taught us: “if you can’t say something nice about somebody, don’t say it at all.”