The election is over. We hope the better angels of our nature can now turn to the challenge of working together for the common good.

We were disturbed by the acrimony we saw during the campaign, locally and nationally. We are disturbed by what we see today on the national front: Online petitions calling for secession from the United States. Petitions from three states – Texas, Louisiana and Florida – have passed the 25,000 mark and will receive responses from the White House. In other words, I didn’t get what I want, so I want a way out. That’s silly.

The beauty of our way of life in our community, state and nation is that there is a place for disparate voices. Our strength as a community, state and nation is that those disparate voices can come together and achieve consensus on issues in which we all have a stake.

Candidates who won and candidates who didn’t win each contributed ideas that make sense and deserve our attention:
— Charter government, which would empower Kitsap residents to create a system of county government that is non-partisan, more efficient and subject to more review.

— Tax reform, which would shift the state’s reliance on sales tax to a less volatile source, eliminate the business and occupations tax to bolster business activity, and ease the property tax burden. Voters have said no to an income tax on higher wage earners and upheld a two-thirds vote requirement for tax increases, so both parties will have to work together to muster the two-thirds needed to eliminate tax loopholes.

— Expand degree programs and training programs in fields with a presence in Kitsap, such as health care and technology.

— Ease residency requirements so returning veterans can immediately qualify for lower in-state college tuition rates.

— Reform Washington State Ferries. The Legislature should consider the recommendations of the U.S. Passenger Vessel Association, outlined in Walt Elliott’s fine column in this edition. Among them: Modify how the ferry system is governed and managed; WSF suffers from excessive oversight that’s tremendously costly, and no other ferry operator has as large a staff of in-house engineers and designers. Bid the construction of vessels nationwide; no other ferry operator in the U.S. has a requirement for instate construction. Study ways to right-size crew levels when there are fewer passengers onboard.

— Implement zero-based budgeting in state and county government. The U.S. Passenger Vessel Association recommended zero-based budgeting for WSF, saying a zero-based budget forces more thought into the budgeting process. That’s a practice that should be employed on every level of state and county government.

Education funding. Health care. Jobs creation. Continuing our economic recovery. The challenges await us. The election is over. Now it’s time for us to get to work — together.