Finally, the primaries are over, the conventions are over, and bless me, the phone calls have ceased for a while.

I have decided that we have some bombastic and unpleasant individuals running for office in Kansas. While this does not surprise me, it does wear me out. How can I wade through a candidate’s stand on issues when all he or she is doing is lambasting the opposition?

What happened to civility? I saw many social media references to John Kennedy and Abraham Lincoln. I passed along a few of them myself. Their messages seemed wise, calm, and thoughtful. What happened to campaigning on the issues and igniting the voting public with speeches that inspire confidence and purpose instead of dragging us all through some gutter of rumor and never-ending accusations?

I am sure those days are gone forever and I am sure I am part of a fading generation that simply is overwhelmed by all the garbage being slung at us on a daily basis under the guise of political thought.

In all honesty, I think I might just make it a practice to vote for the candidate who does not come into my desk phone or answering machine yelling about the other person. For the past few weeks, I really did not listen to much of their recorded tirades. I did not listen to their wives either. I just pushed the button to disconnect and waited for the next call. I was surprised on Sunday to find that the machines still were calling me. I had anticipated a quiet day, but the joke was on me.

However, I ended up angry at the candidate trying to nail my vote by smearing his opponent. I tried at first to sort out the real issues, but the real issues got lost in the “…he’s a scoundrel…” accusations. I am certain none of the candidates is among my six regular readers, but if you are the friend or mother-in-law of a noisy negative candidate, please pass this on.

In addition, for the first time in my life, I considered staying home on Tuesday. However, I am a passionate advocate of voicing one’s opinion at the polls and so I went. Incumbents and derisive contenders did not fare well on my ballot.

I would like to never see or hear from most of them again. That will be my stand in November as well, from top to bottom.

—SUSAN MARSHALL