Since when did it become acceptable to make a Facebook poll about killing the president?

Some anonymous Facebook user asked whether someone ought to kill President Barack Obama and the answers were yes, maybe, no and yes, if he cuts my health care.

Sure, the pollster meant it as a joke, but when did the idea of killing the President become funny?

If you think that I’m some crazy left-wing Obama lover about to criticize everyone on the right, I’m not. I didn’t vote for Obama. I’m a conservative but a conservative alarmed at the complete lack of respect for the man who holds the highest office in our nation.

Obama is not perfect. I disagree with most of his policies. Yet, he is owed my respect, and he gets it.

Why? Because he is the President of the United States of America. He was elected in a fair and democratic election. What do you think the Afghanis would do for one of those? They held an election in August and are still fighting over allegations of ballot stuffing and voter fraud.

Yet, by our own hatred and stupidity, we are compromising our system. Our divisiveness makes our government a lame duck. Due to infighting and bickering, it can’t do anything to solve problems we are facing.

New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman asked, “Where did ‘we’ go?” He pointed out that the country has been divided between red and blue states, between Fox News and CNN, and he asked what happened to national unity.

I ask that same question.

Our constitution set up a government that holds presidential elections every four years. If we decide we hate the government, we have the power to change it.

Friedman did not merely criticize the right for attacking Obama. He also called out liberal critics who despise George W. Bush. Neither side is blameless.

Hatred in politics has become venomous. We need to slow down, take a deep breath and find something we all must agree on. And that is this: the United States can be a transformative presence for good in this world.

Agreeing on that wasn’t hard, was it?

Yes, the U.S. has problems. Our economy is a mess, people don’t have health care and we are involved in two bloody and difficult wars.

We can solve these problems only if we stop endangering the system put in place to fix them.

George Washington said, “The unity of government which constitutes you one people is . a main pillar in the edifice of your real independence, the support of your tranquility at home, your peace abroad; of your safety; of your prosperity; of that very liberty which you so highly prize.”

Attacking the President personally only results in hatred, contempt and misunderstanding. It is far better to listen, reason and argue rather than shout, yell and condemn.

Washington saw the beginning of partisanship during his presidency. Yet, he reminded the people of his day that “it is of infinite moment that you should properly estimate the immense value of your national union to your collective and individual happiness.”

I don’t think that everyone will suddenly agree about everything. That’s impossible. I only ask that we remember we are a union of states joined together by a Constitution that starts “We the People of the United States of America.”

It’s not we the people on the democratic left or even we the people who want health care reform.

It is merely we.

- Elisabeth Ames is a senior from Augusta majoring in newspapers.