No, I am not unretiring.

When you last heard from me in September it was my farewell column as editorial page editor. As planned, I did retire from that position on my 65th birthday, Sept. 26. I'm told the search for my permanent replacement continues.

I haven't missed the responsibility for filling the opinion pages of The Day in print and online, or sorting through and editing letters, or dealing with the myriad interruptions, complaints and added tasks that intruded on getting those basics done.

I have missed the writing and hearing from readers. So, when the opportunity arose to pen a couple of columns monthly, I agreed.

Naively perhaps, I still believe this republic, this 246-year-old experiment in self-rule, holds out the greatest promise for humanity. I still believe we can debate and disagree without being disagreeable.

But no longer can we assume our self-governance will persist. There is no ignoring the reality that our politics have become toxic and angry. In 2020, our record of having of peaceful transition of power ended. People can't agree on the same facts and reality, never mind reach consensus on policy.

Needed is agreement on some core principles.

Don't view those you disagree with as enemies or un-American. People have dramatically different views about what should be the role of government and how to make their community, state and country better and provide opportunities for all. We need to remember that most people have the right motives, as much as we may be convinced their priorities are wrong and even bad for the country.

Don't settle for stereotypes. Talk to many conservatives, and they dismiss liberals as wanting government to do everything for people and make them beholden to that government. Conservatives cringe about what they see as an anything-goes morality that, for the sake of inclusion and diversity, refuses to draw any lines. They are convinced that proposals to allow undocumented immigrants to gain legal status are motivated by the desire to swell liberal ranks.

Talk to many liberals, and they dismiss conservatives as lacking fundamental moral compassion, especially for groups that have faced a history of oppression. They see the conservative opposition to business regulation, programs to assist the impoverished, and a push for stringent immigration control as efforts to assure the rich get richer and a history of white supremacy is never challenged.

Of course, liberals see themselves as promoting a more inclusive, fair and tolerant society. Conservatives say their emphasis is on individual opportunity and responsibility.

We must move past one-dimensional, negative caricatures that fuel distrust and hostility and that make compromise a bridge too far. Unfortunately, much of social media, cable news, and the political parties — to raise funds and secure support — feed such stereotypes. Make liberals and conservatives, Democrats and Republicans, argue policy points.

Welcome participation in our democracy as a good thing. Yes, states must assure there are safeguards to prevent voter fraud, but don't put up needless barriers to voter participation. Instead, compete for those voters. The fact is voter fraud is rare and the instances of it deciding elections rarer still.

Next November, Connecticut voters will have the opportunity to approve a state constitutional amendment that would allow the General Assembly to pass laws providing for early in-person. Voters should approve it and both parties should back a process that would at least allow voting in the week before Election Day.

Accept election results. Liberals have decried the U.S. Supreme Court's refusal to block gerrymandering that distorts voting district boundaries to the benefit of one party and its Citizens United ruling that tossed rules restricting corporate campaign funding. Conservatives are convinced that easing absentee voting provisions, in the interest of allowing greater participation in the pandemic-plagued 2020 election, went too far and opened a door for abuse.

But once votes are counted and the courts have spoken, the legitimacy of election winners must be accepted. Nothing could be more poisonous to our democracy than it becoming routine for the losing party and candidate — and their supporters — to refuse to accept election results.

The world is watching. China is making the case for oligarchy, or rule by the few. Under Vladimir Putin, Russia has moved backward to a watered-down form of totalitarianism. Americans must recognize that what they share in common as Americans — the freedoms and rule of law provided by our constitutional, liberal democracy — must take precedent over what divides them.

Paul Choiniere is the former editorial page editor of The Day, now retired. Reach him at p.choiniere@yahoo.com.