I may have expressed my admiration for Mayor Charles Ryan in this column before.

The guy is a hero in my book for doing what he had to do to save Springfield from receivership and for righting the ship before it ran into an iceberg.

The other day I saw the mayor at the press event that announced the group raising money for the new East Forest Park Library was turning over $500,000 to the city.

Charlie is part of the group and has long been involved in supporting the city’s outstanding library system.

In his remarks he noted that with a project such as that one there were no Democrats and no Republicans – just people and businesses who believed in the city and the importance of the libraries.

He said that what has happened in Washington D.C. has driven him “crazy.”

Charlie called on Congress and the Trump Administration to “do something together” and suggested improving the nation’s decaying infrastructure.

“Who wins? Who loses? The people,” he noted. He expressed disdain for the politicians who are determined to “win.”

“Some jerk gets bragging rights? Who cares?” he concluded.

Charlie is right. In today’s political climate it is too often the goal to win instead of accomplishing something. If one party can block another party that is a victory instead of working on legislation that can address both sides.

That’s why nothing has happened on infrastructure, or healthcare or illegal immigration – three topics that dominate the national conversation.

So in the name of party dominance, too many of our members of Congress are willing to deny people access to affordable health insurance or to see decaying roads or bridges or to see the argument about immigration continue.

I understand his frustration. Charlie is of the generation who saw that being in public service actually meant serving the public.

I can’t say that sentiment is the dominant one among many in Washington.

With the New Year approaching one hopes some actual common sense would be seen in the government, along with a renewed sense of what government is actually supposed to do.

A Merrier Christmas

I don’t know about you, but I’ve had a very hard time getting into the Christmas spirit.

It’s only after doing a little shopping and finding something that I think will make someone happy that I’ve started to feel what I’m supposed to feel at this time of year.

I find it increasingly difficult to turn off what is happening in the world that constantly bombards me through social media.

I also find it impossible to see how people on my FB feed who are constantly spreading what I view as hate to turn 180 degrees and share a holiday message.

Such is the complexity of celebrating the holidays around the reality of social media.

So in the spirit of the season, I’m trying to ignore inexplicable posts on social media and concentrate what this time of year is supposed to mean: a time during which we seek a higher road, a time that we celebrate those people who make a positive difference in our lives.

I hope all of you have a joyous holiday season.