Last year when every Valley city had council races and most other local government entities did too, emotions were running high and a lot of people spoke without thinking, which was especially unwise in this age of mistakes living on indefinitely, courtesy of social media. I announced then that I would be taking vacation the entire month of October this year, because I knew, with national races on the ballot, that things would only get worse this year.

Obviously, I haven’t taken the entire month off, but I have checked out, in a way. I’m trying to take an emotional vacation this election season, not reacting to the inflammatory, even incendiary, rhetoric from all parties and instead looking at it all through the filter of “10, 20, or 50 years from now, what will we remember about this person or this issue?”

It’s actually the opposite of relaxing, because I still find myself yelling at the television, radio, newspaper or computer “I know you don’t like the other guy, tell me why I should like you!”

I have to think I’ve been at least a little successful. While watching the presidential debate on Sunday, and while listening to the dire predictions from local candidates about what would happen if the other side wins the election, my second thought (after the brief initial panic reaction, I admit it) is usually “I wonder if that’s true? How could he/she possibly know that, and how can I find it out for myself?”

Now, I’m aware of the fact-checking that goes on during these national debates, and I’m glad that it’s there, but it also bothers me that it’s become necessary.

It bothers me that we can’t just take these people’s statements at face value. They’re the ones who want the office, after all, so shouldn’t they be able to do their homework, to speak knowledgeably — and factually — about the issues?

It bothers me that I’m willing to give up some of my own responsibility for learning about these candidates to the fact checkers, too. If a candidate says one thing, and a fact checker says the candidate actually said the opposite two years ago, don’t we need a tie-breaker?

And it bothers me, no, irritates me intensely, that the presidential candidates are both so intent on spotlighting the other’s abundant flaws, that nothing substantive gets discussed when they are together. They steal all the oxygen from the room for insults, threats and whining, and they leave me wishing I were on a permanent vacation.