Last Tuesday’s election was capped off by Veterans Day ceremonies on Friday. It seemed like an appropriate way to end the week in light of all the events of the week. One thing is for certain; our republic is alive and well with more than 120 million people having a say in who will be our next president. One of the things we talked about in classes was the Electoral College and why we need such a thing.

Direct democracy is quite a bit different than the republic our founding fathers envisioned to help spread out the power and influence of the states and allow for power to be shared and not concentrated in a few areas of the country. It seems to have worked out pretty well as the candidates spent time in many states that they might have otherwise skipped right over.

But Friday’s tribute to our veterans was such a powerful example of how much our country should look at the way we treat each other. Every speech we heard was about respecting each other, our differences, our similarities and all of the things that make our country so great. Veterans never claim they are perfect or people who should be held up as some type of hero. But we treat them with the respect and honor that they deserve because they belong to a select group of people who have chosen to defend our country by serving.

We should take a cue from those who serve and realize how fortunate we are to live in such a republic and make decisions that will impact the places we find ourselves in each and every day. My hope is in the people who make up Moffat County and the hardworking, dedicated community members who serve in various capacities. Like our veterans, you inspire me to live my life as someone who does their best to do whatever I can, in whatever capacity I serve, to try and make things better and support others regardless of our differences.