Just one more wish this year ...

Do you suppose it is too late to add something to our list of Christmas gifts?

Did anyone remember to ask Santa Claus for some really unique gifts such as politicians in Washington that can give us some faith in their leadership? How do we get carried away with bicycles and iPods for the next generation when they really need us to provide a meaningful future for them?

It isn’t that Christmas comes at the wrong time of the year, it is we forget what we are really celebrating and what Jesus’ birth can provide for us if we get past the financial impact of the holiday season.

Santa do you hear me? I fear I’ve been confused by trying to determine if your beard is real and how you cover all the world in one night. If the following reports are correct, I’m not the only one on the wrong track.

What are we to make of the report by Hugh Hefner that the Playboy issue with pictures of Lindsey Lohan posing nude (?) are setting sales records? I haven’t seen the magazine, so can’t substantiate the quality or condition of the pictures, but if we are having trouble feeding the poor over the holiday season, why would a non-family magazine be setting records to a primarily male audience?The news casts are busy sharing how low the food is in the food pantry, how many people are unemployed and follow those features with reports of long lines to buy the new Nike Air Jordan sneakers. It seems that people are waiting in line overnight, and even fighting for an opportunity to buy this new version at $180 per pair. Somehow the two don’t seem to be consistent with an economy and culture based on Christian principles. Of course, if we look at Washington and some of the laws they produce and look to Wall Street and some of the leaders in the investment community, it is hard to find those principles there, too.

These are the kinds of things that worry me about America. No doubt the buyers of the magazine are not interested in my opinion and that’s OK. They are probably too busy to worry much about the hungry or the homeless, because hopefully they are gainfully employed and have Christmas behind them and can fantasize over the pictures. I’m not pickingon anyone’s choice of how to spend their money or their time. But, I do believe that this is an indication of the priorities that keep our nation so self-centered. Is this what being middle-class is all about?

If you follow the news out of Washington, D.C., and look at how many political motives affect our legislation, it is hard not to be cynical. How can the “other 99 percent” not take to the streets to express their dissatisfaction? It has been reported on some news casts that some of the “occupy” people are being paid to protest. If they are unemployed and someone offers them “work” is that any different than union workers being paid to picket when they are on strike? We are so much at the mercy of the news media we can’t be sure how much of what we hear is true. However, the paying of people to “demonstrate” is not new. Ask anyone who has been around the entertainment industry for the real facts about screaming bobby soxers from another era.

The news media can make or break an event by how they chose to cover it.

A recent event put Jeb Bush in front of the television crews with a whole group of “followers” that apparently was a made-for-televisionevent. It was followed by the questioning of his desire to get back into the Republican Party limelight. The host of a newscast had someone on their program who stated the Republican Party needed some new “energy” in the Party’s search for presidential material. I lean more toward the TEA Party and political independence every time I hear about another Bush in politics. I’m not one of those people pushing for a return of actor/politician Ronald Reagan. However, it would be nice to have someone who can lay out a meaningful direction for our nation and then build a team of dedicated leaders of Republicans, Democrats, Independents and non-party affiliated persons to achieve those goals.

Santa, Santa do you hear me?

Actually I know this is not in Santa’s realm. The answer lies in our sincere prayers for all these things.

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Editor’s note: Leo Lynch, a native of Benton County has deep roots in northwest Arkansas. He is a retired industrial engineer and former Justice of the Peace. He can be contacted at prtnews@ nwaonline.com. The opinions of the writer are his own, and are not necessarily those of The Times.