We are now at the end of September and the elections for political positions are just now starting to show up in candidates' roadside signs. It seems ages ago that we started seeing ads on television setting the tone for our United States Senate seat. The gap between the first political "entertainment' concerning the Senate seat and the roadside signs for state positions has been filled with telephone calls from both the Pryor and Cotton campaigns and the governor candidates seeking our support.
The seat in the Arkansas House seat for District 96 doesn't really represent us here in Pea Ridge, but it has been interesting to watch because until recently it was lost in the U.S. Senate barrage. One of the candidates for the District 96 seat gave me his literature because of my stand on the Electrical Power Line between Flint Creek and Kings River. As I studied his literature and his qualifications (curiosity on my part), no where could I find his political party affiliation. As a conservative Republican-Moderate Tea Party Independent, it suddenly dawned on me that my support of Republican Party candidates really means I support a voting bloc of politically-minded public servants and not necessarily a person I can count on to vote his or her conscience. The individual I mentioned has the qualifications that appeal to my sense of character and political awareness, but out of habit I looked for the "party affiliation." If we looked only at the person's abilities rather than tying them to a political party, we would probably have better government at all levels and far less political ties to special interest groups. And, we might have more people in government actually independent of the two major political parties.
When I hear or read about the Northwest Arkansas Council meeting with legislators -- state or national -- it is fairly easy to determine whose priorities are going to take precedence in legislative action and they don't live in my neighborhood.
We as the "little people" will always be voting on a candidate the "system" has selected. As I have mentioned in previous articles, one of the lessons I was introduced to early in my political endeavors was the importance of "party" control. Some of the back room pressure applied to assure that certain legislation passed is not routinely discussed prior to being sworn into office. When we look at the lack of progress in our national legislation, however, there is probably something to be said for political party pressure.
The constant run of political ads for the upcoming U.S. Senate seat between Senator Mark Pryor and Congressman Tom Cotton demonstrates the excesses of financial involvement seeking power in Washington. Maybe if the Republican Party takes control of the Senate we will have more legislation passed but no one is willing to guarantee that it will be "better" legislation. My support of Congressman Cotton comes as a result of his actions in Congress, many of which the Pryor ads point out as "wrong" for certain areas of our economy. The farm bill is an example. This is no longer a "Farm Bill" as it is written and the real reason all the extra items are attached to it apparently is to gain support from non-agricultural states' elected persons. The whole idea of attaching something for everyone to any good and needed legislation is apparently Washington's idea of good politics. I will never understand why something that can benefit the entire nation can become such a political power tool. The television ads for both Pryor and Cotton seem confusing to me as a viewer because it appears they accuse each other of trying to change the rules on Social Security. On the basis of their respective ads, maybe we should vote for a write-in candidate.
Actually the television ads and the telephone calls under the guise of "surveys" have done more to discourage our going to the polls than they have to influence our votes. Too much of a good thing is detrimental at some point.
And, that is much the same situation with the position of governor. The television ads for governor have been only slightly less irritating because they don't have as much money. Both accuse the other of having Washington connections as if it is a crime. Well, maybe it is!
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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 10/01/2014