Dear Mr. President-Elect

On the eve of your inauguration to the highest office in the land, I wanted to pass along the thoughts of someone you’ll likely never know or meet.   I don’t mean to be a scolding parent.  I’m just Joe Citizen, living in a great country.  

If you want me to like you, I hope you can start by being more civil.  Be respectful of people whose politics you don’t agree with or whose words have hurt you.     Show that open mindedness is preferable to reflex partisanship. Erase “loser,” “garbage” and other name-calling from your vocabulary.  Think of all of us  Joe Citizens as your extended family. We don’t expect to be invited to  Thanksgiving or Christmas at the White House,  but look us in the eye and tell us the truth whenever possible.

If you want me to respect you, study and read the appropriate material before you speak on any serious subject.  Shooting from the hip is for people who don’t know the importance of consequences.  Refrain from thinking of world leaders as a battle of  the superheroes or clash of the titans, but if you must, know that winning is not a zero-sum game.  Don’t keep secrets that you wouldn’t abide in others.  Refrain from rumors.  To paraphrase a song of your generation and mine, love and tolerance are a temple, love and tolerance are the highest thing.

If you want me to have faith in your presidency, never do anything that I’d be ashamed of if I did it,  because sooner or later the word gets out.   Everything you’ve done in the past, I forgive you.  Everything you do in the future, our lives depend on it.  So do our children’s and grandchildren’s.  Trust the judgment and wisdom of people around you who do their jobs well.   That’s about it.
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Michael R. French
Santa Fe, New Mexico