I hate election years because I hate division among people. Unfortunately, progress requires that tension. Every election forces you to choose between one of two American traditions. One tradition sought to abolish slavery; the other sought to expand it. One tradition worked to abolish child labor; the other worked to preserve it. One worked to create the forty-hour work week, safe working conditions, and a living wage; the other opposed all attempts to give work dignity and security. One tradition fought for civil rights for all; the other would reserve them for only some. One tradition fought for equality before the law; the other wasn’t even willing to outlaw lynching. One tradition seeks equal pay for equal work; the other doesn’t. One tradition knows how racist and ineffective executing criminals is; the other would keep us in the company of Iran, Pakistan, China, and Saudi Arabia for the most executions. One tradition welcomes all to first class citizenship, including the right to marry the one we love; the other reserves that honor for some and not others. One tradition imagines a world at peace; the other insists that war is normal. One tradition sought to outlaw deploying children as soldiers; the other, believe it or not, prevented the US from signing the Conventions of the Rights of the Child, meaning only the US and Somalia favor that obscene practice. One tradition rejects torture as either effective or acceptable; the other doesn’t. One tradition would teach science in biology classrooms; the other religion. One tradition accepts the fact of global warming and seeks to mitigate its effects; the other seeks to preserve the profits of the oil companies. The theology of one tradition focuses on love and justice; the other insists that people are essentially evil. One tradition says we must prevent deranged people from acquiring guns; the other would do nothing about the parade of killers in our schools and theaters. The list goes on and on. Elections force you to choose a tradition. Doing nothing about evil, as Martin Luther King said, makes you an accomplice to it. Saying that all politicians and parties are the same is intellectually lazy. In 2018, find the facts and choose a tradition.