Numbers reveal disheartening facts

A "number" appeared in the Northwest Arkansas section of Saturday's (March 8) Arkansas Democrat Gazette that probably went unnoticed by almost everyone that read that section of the newspaper because it was unrelated to our normal activities. I saw it by accident, not that I was looking for a reason to write this article, but it cannot go unnoticed if the state of Arkansas is going to keep the logo "The Land of Opportunity" where political affiliation is concerned.

Down in the lower right hand corner of page one of section B, (Northwest Arkansas) an easily ignored article by Bill Bowden appeared under the headline "Only 2 file for seat in 3rd District." This Third District turns out to be our Third District Congressional seat currently held by the Honorable Steve Womack, a Republican from Rogers. The article talks about Womack's election in 2010, having no opponent in 2012 and a man named Grant Brand of Pea Ridge who is running as a Libertarian opposing him this year.

There are really several "numbers" in the article that are meaningful -- a reported 94 percent incumbency for congressional members being one of them. That alone is scary. The filing fee to run as a Republican (set by the Republican Party) of $15,000 is another significant number. How many people can actually participate in an election as a candidate when you must pay over half an average worker's yearly salary just to file for the position? As I reported last week, no Democrat chose to run in county elections because of the perceived idea you must be a Republican -- may we have a drum roll please? (How many people running for county offices actually participate in County Republican Party activities?) In the article, one candidate who announced he was going to run as a Republican opposing Representative Womack was deterred by the filing fee, if I read the article correctly. There is just something wrong with this system and we are responsible if we blindly look for an (R) after a candidate's name and assume they are better than a candidate with a (D) or an (L) or an (I) after their name. It is interesting to note that the Libertarian filing fee was a respectable $300.

This is in no way a reflection on the candidates themselves, but it is a reason for us to look at ourselves and question the basis for our voting decisions. Several years ago, we had life-long Benton County Democrats changing parties because they couldn't win certain seats as a Democrat. Does a simple move from one group to another change one's political character? My value system clashes with those of someone who can so swiftly acclimate to another view just to get elected to a particular position if they actually believed in the values they so quickly abandoned. As I have mentioned several times, it is a disappointment to me that the Republican Party in Benton County can charge $1,550 to run as a member of that party simply because the belief that a Democrat can't win prevails here. Two years ago an individual ran for County Judge as an Independent and did so by obtaining the necessary signatures on a petition. That option was basically taken away this election cycle by Act 1356 of 2013 which required petitions to be filed earlier than in the past. That might be accidental, but it sure smacks of political party influence to keep the two-party system with Republican dominance in effect, and provide money for the Party's political agenda.

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Editor's note: Leo Lynch is an award-winning columnist. He is 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 [email protected].

Editorial on 03/12/2014