WRITE TEAM: It’s time to realize each president is our president

Not long ago, I remember people showed respect for the President of the United States, whether they voted for him or not. This respect extended to all elected officials, simply because they held office. As we approach an inauguration of a new president, it is time we return to respecting our elected officials because they represent us. That doesn’t mean we don’t hold them accountable when they violate the rules we elect them to follow.

In my memory, probably the worst violation of this respect started the downhill slide when media began making fun of George W. Bush. Clinton, Nixon, and even Kennedy gave the media and America in general, reason and opportunity to have less respect for the office. However, that lowering of expectations, should have been for them, not an excuse for less respect for the office holders after them. As mentioned, some presidents contributed to this decrease in respect by violations of the code of ethics we expected of them. Other presidents contributed by not realizing that their every opinion on matters was best not expressed. Most would jump to Donald Trump with his tweets to support this idea. I also point to Barack Obama.

Trump came in thinking he was the CEO of the country, more than the president, with certain expectations that are allowed in many businesses. We expected him to be a politician. That’s right. Our expectations had declined in our president. We got used to politicians, not presidents with the social expectations that are included in that title, including the common sense to let other officials handle most situations, instead of expressing their own opinions. That expression can often be divisive compared to letting government handle things outside of the public eye.

Our complaining about federal offices spread to our postal service. Whether it was from the postal service becoming tangled in the mail-in ballot argument, or other reasons; I witnessed people expressing much frustration with postal employees. Most involved mail being delivered to a wrong address. A factor in this frustration is probably turnover. As postal employees retire and new employees are hired, or aren’t yet replaced because hiring a new employee doesn’t happen the day after an employee retires.

I received another person’s mail in my post office box a couple of times. I turned them in at the front desk, and they were delivered. One of my most consistent bills also didn’t show up on time, but came a week later. I guess that another person got it and followed my example.

It takes a while for new employees to get used to routines and they may make mistakes until they do. So, be patient, and don’t forget to praise postal workers when they do well. Several years ago, I returned to a job that I had done before, and even had done part-time in between; yet at first, I made small mistakes, so I understand when new employees aren’t perfect.

Rodney Verdine, hated a little less by his brother-in-law, but loved by his wife, Marie, can be reached at tsloup@shawmedia,com.