As we enter the final weeks leading to Election Day, we are bombarded with rhetoric from all sides, especially the ultra right and left.

Limbaugh, Hannity, O’Reilly, Maddow and Olbermann are all political entertainers. Their No. 1 concern is ratings for their shows. They have political power without any responsibility. They do not worry about governing or winning elections. Their fear-mongering keeps their listeners angry to maintain their ratings and salaries.

Political speech should be a search for good answers. These good answers usually result in a compromise by the multiple sides of an issue. For the past 21 months this process has not worked well. From the beginning of President Barack Obama’s administration, many leaders of the Republican Party have said their only concern is to see his policies fail. They have made a conscious decision to say no to anything proposed by the administration, even though they supported many of those proposals in the previous eight years.

Practicing democracy is learning to listen — not to yell, not to interrupt others, and not to say a blanket no.

We do not have to worry about others trying to bring down our democracy. We have to worry about those who believe only they have the answers, those who believe that if you do not agree with them, you are wrong, and those who speak as though they are a messiah.

Without a thoughtful, reasonable, responsible dialogue, we will devour our own democracy.

Stan Tetenman, Poland