What do we question?

Is it possible the American citizens must ultimately come to grips with the fact that not all statements made by politicians are 100 percent truth? We are hearing President-elect Donald Trump start to become honest on some of his campaign promises like "who will actually pay for the wall along the Mexican border ?" Did the majority of voters who supported Trump actually believe there was a way to force Mexico to write a check to pay for that wall? Maybe over a period of time he can "negotiate" a tariff arrangement that will pay for most of the needed wall, but campaign promises are pure rhetoric to appease a segment of the population that has a major interest in the topic.

If Donald Trump was the first politician to make unrealistic promises, our nation would be ever so much better off -- and we would not have skeptics writing articles reminding us of how we are "used" during political campaigns. Probably the person who first asked the question "would you buy a used car from ... (fill in the blank)" when talking about a political figure keyed in on the negative view we frequently achieve about the politician after the campaign.

And, it doesn't actually have to come just as part of the campaign itself. Where did the information on Iraq's leader Saddam Hussein come from? Has history proven the existence of the large arsenal of nuclear weapons or have I missed something? Are we not just subject to the information which is presented to us and have to believe it or learn how to turn off the TV set ? And, just what part does a cooperative news media play in this?

In trying to sell Obamacare, the current presidential administration made numerous promises which time proved were not exactly as told to us. The one that affected most of the people I have heard complain have been over costs and the promised "you can keep your current doctor." Without subsidies and basically redistribution of our tax dollars, many of the benefactors of the bill would not be covered. Many of the problems which led to people not being able to keep their previous doctors probably was due to insurance companies' attempts to keep costs in an acceptable change. What the current Republican Congress will do to replace it only time will tell, but I will bet they will follow Obama's pattern and it will also have a few unfulfilled promises included in the selling.

All this seems to establish a history which feeds the skepticism of people like me who really would like to believe in people and in those who are elected to lead us and our nation. So, what do we question ? And, what do we accept about the reported security breach involved in our recent presidential election?

Are we really expected to believe the news coverage we are fed on a daily basis about Russia hacking the Democratic National Committee's computers and sharing the information with Wikileaks? All of that just to embarrass Hillary Clinton. If it is that easy to share the truth about how vulnerable our computer systems are, then Russia knows everything that went on in Hillary's emails which were on her home servers. As frequently as we read about some hacker breaking into a business's data base and accessing personal data, are we expected to believe the only thing the Russian's had in mind was exposing what many of us previously felt about Hillary Clinton? It is beyond my imagination to accept the fact that she didn't defeat herself with the smug look of an expectant politician. Reports to Congress on hacking of our servers is not news -- not even when the focus is on finding an excuse for someone like Trump to win an election. And, the world of Twitter, Facebook and the likes are not going to go away. The future as a political consultant specializing in manipulation of public opinion through these mediums probably already exists if we only knew what goes on in the world beyond northwest Arkansas.

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Editor's note: Leo Lynch, an award-winning columnist, 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 01/11/2017