A veteran of the Pacific Theater during World War II, Bert Aaron is a patriot, living in Williamsburg.  I am thankful that he has been a friend, a client, and an inspiration for so many years!  The local paper, Virginia Gazette, just published his latest column.  With his permission, I quote it below:

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Stop.  Hold on, take a breath.  The locomotive is running away with the train, and we are on it.

Those of us who espouse the conservative mantra demonize the liberals and those of us who espouse the liberal mantra demonize the conservatives.

Yet, guess what?  The gulf is there only because we do not listen.  If we listened, we would find that the gulf between us is not that wide.

Let’s look at the similarities:

*  Both want excellent, affordable health care.

*  Both want good job opportunities for everyone.

*  Both want a strong, vibrant America.

*  Both want strong border security.

*  Both want immigration reform.

*  No one wants abortion just for abortion’s sake.

*  Both want a nonpartisan, even-handed, trust criminal justice system.

*  Both want a Congress that can move the country forward.

Does this sound crazy?  Then you have not been listening to the other side.  The vested interests have lassoed you and tightened the rope.

The differences are not the goals but the path to the goals.

The path, however, is not a zero sum as those with high-vested interests on both sides would have us believe.  The path is a compromise that will work for the good of all.

For this to happen, we will all — not some, but all — have to start dialoguing with our neighbors.  After a while we will begin to realize they are people like ourselves, with the same goals but with different paths.

If you will listen instead of just making your own points, you might — hallelujah — find that together you have a better joint path than either of you had before.  Now, you have a collaborative friend instead of an antagonist.  Now, you are no longer at the mercy of the vested interests.  Now, you have the beginning of a movement that could supercharge America.

Go for it!

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For this Thanksgiving, I am thankful for every Republican who calls a Democrat to wish him a Happy Thanksgiving, and I am thankful for every Democrat who calls a Republican to wish him the same!

Go for it!

Pick up the phone . . . please !!