On board Amtrak recently between Vancouver and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, I reflected on the state of our deeply divided nation.
Our fellow travelers included quite a few fresh-faced Mennonite families heading to Mile City, Michigan, and a young couple hoping to set up a vegetable farm on their 5 acres in rural Illinois.
One passenger told us she rides Amtrak four times a year between Minot, North Dakota, and Fresno, California, to care for an ailing sister, one of 16 siblings.
In a different vein, I spotted a large Confederate flag mounted to the back of a pickup truck parked in one of the many tiny towns that dotted the North Dakota landscape along our route.
Overall, I continue to believe that Americans are mostly decent and generous of heart, especially when they themselves are granted opportunities to advance.
What we need are engaged politicians who offer empathy and policies sufficient to coax us out of our respective tribes and resentments toward a more purposeful and collaborative future.
Ellen Sward
Vancouver
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