To the Editor:

As a Rhode Islander, it is sometimes easy to be discouraged when you look at the state of politics and the amount of people who say one thing, but do another in our representative bodies and the government as a whole. 

The dread of when, not if, the politician will show their true colors has lingered in me for a long time. I have watched in amazement as the governor will do something amazing like helping kids pay for college while simultaneously taking away from elderly patients and the poor with Medicaid cuts. 

Or watching the Democratic speaker of the House, who was voted on unanimously by even the most progressive members of the House, gerrymandering a conservative district and accepting money from both the NRA and Right to Life. 

It's easy to become cynical the closer you watch the theatre of it all. When you learn that big tent doesn't mean welcoming more people into the party. Rather it means tolerating more conservative ideas in lieu of democratic ideals.

But occasionally you are surprised when a senator tells it like it is, works hard for the people and helps to motivate other senators and reps to do the same thing. Jeanine Calkin is that rare gem in the wasteland of Rhode Island politics. She doesn't just talk the talk, she rallies her peers, she writes the legislation and she listens to her constituents. 

We are lucky to have her working for all of us. 

If you read this Jeanine, you have given me hope for the future of my state and my country. Keep up the great work! We need more people like you!"

If you can title it "Hope for the future,” I would like that.

Jaye Brooks

Pawtucket