I have lived in Topanga for 51 years. I grew up here in a family of six kids. We all went to Topanga Elementary School and my three children have also attended there; my youngest is in third grade. I have lived in Topanga for 51 years. I grew up here in a family of six kids. We all went to Topanga Elementary School and my three children have also attended there; my youngest is in third grade. People have often asked me, “What was Topanga like growing up so many years ago?� My response is quite simple. It was a beautiful place to grow up. Houses were affordable. My parents rented a two-bedroom house on two acres for $100 a month. Traffic through the Canyon was light. Kids roamed the hills to connect with each other. You would recognize your neighbors and friends, waving, and honking when passing. The weather was predictable, with winter-time cold, rain, and icy puddles, high heat in the summer. There were fires, floods, mud slides, and coyotes howling. There were clear starry nights when we slept summer nights outside together. There was a diverse community of people living in the hills of Topanga. Us, hippies, teachers, librarians, probation officers, architects, red-neck ranchers, bikers, actors, musicians, construction workers, poets, and rich and poor artists. Most important were friends: a community of friends who rode the school bus (there used to be a bus to Topanga Elementary) and did what kids do, and a community of friends, families, and neighbors, who bonded together during fires and floods. The events of recent days made me realize how lucky we were to experience a Golden Age. Today, it is the division of our communities promoted across the nation by the internet, cell phones, and social media that is destroying future generations. When we were kids, we had to make our own fun—bikes, skateboards, hiking, go carts, sports, gardening, and we created things for entertainment, art, and fun. Nowadays, kids mostly create through handheld devices, iPads and laptops. The creative young mind no longer has to make his or her fun with friends. Now there is a disconnect in human contact and creation. Today, some of those friends have been divided by the brainwashed rhetoric of a deranged leader (kid trump). Kids need to be open to new experiences, not divided by a lying, holocaust-promoting fascist. It amazes me to think that common sense is not so common. If you can understand a simple concept, like one plus one, then you can understand reality. Let’s not destroy and divide this beautiful country of free kids. Our founding fathers created great ideals and laws to protect the citizens and youth in this country, then, now, and forever. You can make a difference by using common sense. No matter your political affiliation, let’s have a conversation about what is best for future generations. Never believe anything you hear without finding the true facts. This is common sense. —Damian Andrews, An imperfect citizen