What's that lever on the steering column?
This is a public service announcement. As a legally licensed driver in the state of Arkansas, I feel it is my duty to present this information. There is a tremendous health risk to the residents of Northwest Arkansas that can be very easily reduced. The risk comes in the form of injury or death to one's self, or to those around us. We are all aware of the carnage because we see it on the TV news, read about it in the newspaper, or sadly experience it ourselves.
One solution to help avoid this destruction is a simple, but often ignored device that anyone who drives a motor vehicle has available to them. It is called a turn signal. It is a lever on the left side of the steering column, just behind the steering wheel. It comes as standard equipment on every vehicle made or used on the roads of America since the 1940s. Pushing the lever up it informs the drivers around you of your intention to make a move to the right. Pushing the lever down informs the drivers around you of your intention to move to the left. It is a wonderfully simple device to operate. Anyone can do it.
Unfortunately, there is a large number of drivers unaware of this safety feature. To not use it is not only rude to fellow drivers, but dangerous. I can only assume those who ignore the turn signal were improperly educated when they were taught to drive. But it's never too late to learn.
If you don't know how to use your turn signal, you should ask a friend or relative to instruct you on its use, and then get in the habit of using it. You just might save a life if you do, or at the very least, be a little less rude.
Paul Grissom
Bella Vista
The reasons behind Trump, Sanders
As best I can understand this year's presidential contest, both major parties are struggling with public discontent over their leadership. This year's populist uprisings have long been building but ignored by the elite, just as Mitt Romney in 2012 dismissed 47 percent of us as irrelevant.
It reminds me of Washington County's quarrelsome redistricting following the 1990 census. We rural residents needed more representation on the Quorum Court and we argued strenuously for it, when we were allowed to speak. An influential local official assured us that he knew what we needed better than we did, just as the Democratic Party is telling us with its superdelegates who can ignore voters' choices. After that meeting ended, the man who chaired it was asked on camera why he did not let us rural residents speak more. He replied (this is an exact quote) "I don't consider them to be the people."
As I see it, therein lies a big problem. We the People are not considered to be the people, and we're tired of it. Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders have appealed to millions by not playing by the rules set down by their parties' leadership. Unfortunately their supporters disagree vehemently with each other, which is another major problem we as a nation face.
Are we headed for another Civil War or a revolution? We could be if our leaders keep assuming they know what's best for us without considering us to be relevant.
Nancy Miller Saunders
Durham
Commentary on 05/25/2016