LETTERS

LITTLE ROCK — Apply reason, not emotion

During this political season, which seems more like a screaming contest, it is best to decide based on reason, not emotion. But thinking is harder when you get emotional, which is why we see so many public figures arousing anger and fear.

For millennia, those in power or who seek power (or money) have known that people are easily manipulated by appealing to people’s negative emotions. A scientific basis for this long-used tool can be seen in the fight-flight response, when our emotional “animal” brain is in charge. At such times, the brain shuts down higher-level thought and focuses on reacting until later when we are calm and feel safe.

We’ve all seen this happen when we’ve done something really dumb in anger that we later regretted. Sadly, we now face social and emotional danger signals put out by power-hungry groups who exploit our emotions to further their own aims.

If you let others upset you but don’t stop, think and check out the facts, you’ll unwittingly be the tool of a clever propaganda merchant out for his group’s own gain, not yours. Remember that the next time a talking head starts getting you upset. Whose interest does he have in mind, yours or his? Keep a level head. If you continually react in anger and fear, you become easy prey to doing the bidding of others when it actually may not be in your own interest.

JERRY GLEN WHITE Little Rock

Causey best for state

I, like many of you, am concerned and angry about the direction of our country. I want the country my children grow up in to be both a military and economic superpower while providing the best chance for economic success.

Northeast Arkansas is growing economically and is home to some of the best learning institutions in the state. I plan to trust the future of my district to Chad Causey because he has worked hard in Arkansas with much success.

Chad understands that the vitality of our community hinges on good paying jobs. His love of Arkansas led him to work for our district for most of his life. Northeast Arkansas is a better place with more opportunities than it was 10 years ago. We have not experienced the unemployment rates or poor housing markets we hear about in the news. Chad has earned the opportunity to both serve us and help lead us in Washington.

The current political landscape has created a climate that is ripe to trick the voters of the 1st District into making a bad local decision based on national anger. The only way Rick Crawford will be allowed to represent our district is if we are tricked into believing that he will take better care of our money than he has his own. We are too smart to be tricked by Rick. Please join me in voting for the most honest, sincere person I have ever known to run for public office.

BRAD SHUMPERT Jonesboro

Stance is no surprise

Are you really surprised at the Game and Fish Commission’s stance on the Freedom of Information Act’s contents?

Arkansas hunters, fisherman and trappers bought and paid for all the deer, turkey and other wildlife we have today every time they bought a license. This bunch we have now lost touch a long time ago. I think a few sportswriters were aware of this, but too many took the football/basketball route: make them look good at all costs.

Oh, well, after elections it will all die down.

DALE WALDEN Garfield

Just swapping bums

A couple of weekends ago we gathered with some friends for dinner and conversation, and someone turned the talk to the upcoming elections. Someone repeated the oft mentioned mantra, “Throw all the bums out.”

I have been of the conviction for quite some time that throwing the bums out will only result in obtaining new bums. By concentrating on individual officeholders, we fail to see the big picture. The entire system is broken and dysfunctional.

This year’s election cycle has generated huge amounts of expenditures, and the recent Citizens United Supreme Court decision ensures that each succeeding election will see even larger caches. This cannot be good.

Since our democracy has devolved into the accumulation of huge war chests both to run for office and then remain in office, our representatives are transformed into creatures of the system. It is that transformation that creates the bums whom the electorate wishes to evict.

America needs some heroes. We need some reps who will not do their monetary sponsors’ bidding, not apologize to big oil, big insurance and big banks.

Unfortunately, this election cycle is not producing those heroes. This current crop of reps and nominees is more of the same-Democrats who can’t govern and Republicans who are just plain insane.

RUSSELL PEASE Prairie Grove

Upset played down

Did anybody at the Democrat-Gazette notice that the No. 18 team, Wisconsin, upset the No. 1 team, Ohio State, recently? I guess the small box on the bottom of page 14D should just about cover it, right?

I can understand that unranked Mississippi State beating No. 22 Florida is a big enough story to get a full article. So is unranked Kentucky beating No. 10 South Carolina. Believe it or not, big games happen outside of the SEC.

JOHN BOBHOLZ Pea Ridge

Voted and feel good

I just voted and did not vote for even one Democrat, and I feel good about it, thank you.

FRED LUCAS Sherwood

Success instills pride

I was thrilled to read in Paper Trails about my friend, Ash Flat doctor Charles Tucker, taking over to help Roy Rogers in 1967. This is the Charles Tucker who graduated at Oil Trough High School (1954), where science, biology and chemistry needed in preparation for medical school may have been under par.

But Tucker did not let this keep him from throwing down his cottonpicking sack to enter medical school, make good grades and begin his successful practice in Sharp County in 1966. I’m proud of him and all Oil Trough graduates who went to college and to help improve the world.

WILLIAM KRAMER North Little Rock

Return U.S. to roots

Election 2010 will be a defining moment in American history. If theliberals lose Congress, as seems likely, Republicans will be in control. Their last efforts were disastrous and allowed Barack Obama to putall of the blame for today on them.

However, if they govern as most Americans desire, they can take back the White House and return the country to its American roots. I am too cynical to expect that to happen; therefore, I predict the following future for this country: complete nationalization of all facets of American life and an attempt in 2016 by Obama to become a complete dictator, as he has already shown himself to be through his nationalization of so many of America’s formerly private concerns. If that occurs, [there will be] an alignment of America with Venezuela.

If you do not believe the above is likely, just look at the philosophy of Obama. Take from the rich and give to the poor. If you don’t understand this, you need to be studying what the president has done in less than two years.

A vote for Republicans or tea-party members may stop the socialism, but it isn’t guaranteed.

BARRETT A. METZLER Pine Bluff

Beck is right in step

Recently, Dana Milbank, with John Deering as the illustrator, repeated his wordy column from The Washington Post denigrating Glenn Beck. This is a desperate attempt to make the conservative wing of the Republican Party appear dysfunctional just before the elections.

Milbank, a former member of the Progressive Party of the Yale Political Union, makes several bombastic assertions mixed with half-truths and irrelevancy.

Beck, indeed, had demonstrated how some of Barack Obama’s far-left policies were seen during the early stages of the Nazi regime, e.g., gun control, forced purchasing of a health care service, attempts to railroad a government-controlled health care management system against the wishes of the majority citizenry, unreasonable search and seizure by newly established Internal Revenue Service management of health care insurance and taxation, indoctrination of school children, inserting government command of various corporations, union favoritism, devaluation of the U.S. currency.

The author states, “Telling the nation that Obama is leading the country into Nazism is outrageous. . . .” Would Milbank have preferred the term communism?

One simply needs to review Obama’s biography and the persons surrounding him to know that Beck is much closer to the American mandate than is Milbank.

JOHN FOX Little Rock

Give Blanche a boot

Blanche Lincoln wants one more term to increase her retirement benefits. She spends 18 years and retires with insurance and a generous pension.

Her interest is only herself, not the people who will pay for herhigh standard of living, which is far better than most of us who will foot the bill. A G.I. spends 20 years of hardship for a small pension and little else. Where is the fairness in this?

How much has her family farm gained during her time in office? Boot Blanche.

ERNIE TWEEDY Oxford

Feedback Back online voting

I think we should have the right to vote using our own computers or any computer through the Internet.

I personally feel that if we can bank and pay our bills and feel secure, then why would we not feel secure about voting online? If we cannot vote online because we feel it unsecured, then maybe we should rethink doing business online as well.

Is there anyone out there who would like to tackle this problem? Then state your opinions about this subject. I would like in some way to help resolve this issue. Pros and cons welcome. Is anyone acting on this subject? How can we the people help make a better voting system?

STEVE R. SRADER Elkins

Record not so hot

As elections go, this one seems more vicious than most. But a phrase often heard: I’m a Reagan Republican.

Let’s see. Ronald Reagan tripled the national debt, left it where George Bush had to raise taxes (even though his campaign speech was no new taxes), sold weapons to nearly the same people our young soldiers are now fighting, somehow didn’t know about weapons and drug deals going on, even though we had sanctions against Iran, the great deregulation policies and the savings-and-loan scandals.

You can’t rewrite history. It’s already been written. Facts are facts. You cannot change them to fit one’s ideology.

MELVIN SKAGGS Greenbrier