Message from the Mayor | Let's ask the question about American politics today

Banners honor Scotts Valley High School graduates. (Contributed)

Sometimes you just have to turn to man for advice and in this case Shakespeare states it perfectly in Macbeth: Double, Double Toil and Trouble:

The fire burns and the cauldron boils;

By the prick of my thumbs,

Something bad this way comes.

Macbeth was indeed a victim of his blind ambition and, of course, he paid dearly for it. So this begs the question: what price are we paying for the infuriating, disturbing, boring and tedious national politics we witness today? This is not healthy for a democracy. The rude and immature behavior of both parties is beyond disturbing. This is in fact insulting and undermines the seriousness required for good governance.

Compare that to local government. Every week or two, your city council and board of supervisors meet and address issues. Many are mundane and routine. Sometimes there are disagreements and sometimes a little jab is thrown at another member, but the job gets done and we are all better for it. The dialogue is cordial and productive. We respect each other. It could be a pothole, a budget problem, an aggrieved commuter or 50 other things, but the method is functional and effective and there are countless 5-0 votes . Doing the people’s business regularly is a welcome profession that benefits our communities.

Sometimes, however, the dialogue and arguments become repetitive and this encourages one or more representatives to “put the issue to a vote.” The subtext of this request is that we have heard enough, there are no new ideas and things are getting boring, so let’s vote. A decision is made and we move on. Oh, if only we could do that for the next presidential election.

Each campaign raises several hundred million dollars and I fear that the level of venom, malice and rancor will overturn all the dreams of harmony that most of us aspire to. Can’t we just move the date forward, say to next week, by putting it to a vote, get this thing over with and save the country weeks and weeks of resentment and division? I know. I’m dreaming, but the world seems a little upside down.

I believe we owe future generations something and that includes respecting and embracing our democracy. Scotts Valley shares its streetlights with our high school, where it displays posters of all of this year’s graduating seniors.

The new faces of Evan, Henry, Ashley, Mckay, Qynn, Raphael, Rex and Ayza (to name a few) remind us that the future invites us to improve what we have and accept that we we have the responsibility to leave a great country intact for these young people. I’m not sure there is a definitive tipping point where America slides into a political abyss, but respecting and resisting the possibility of “something nasty like this happening” is both reasonable and foresighted. We can and must do better.

PS Scotts Valley will hold its annual 4th of July parade on Scotts Valley Drive. The Boys & Girls Club will have fun and games for children and food trucks will be on site before the parade. Unfortunately, there will be no fireworks this year as a site could not be found and private funding has not been fully raised by the non-profit organization sponsoring the event.

Randy L. Johnson is the mayor of Scotts Valley.