Stay focused on the important items

This is being written during Saturday's winter weather and could be obsolete by the time this paper is available on Wednesday.

However, at this time, House Speaker Nance Pelosi (D-CA) has determined it is time to concede the Senate has the final say in the current stand-off (or power play) concerning Donald Trump's impeachment trial. Apparently the fact that the process started in the Democratic controlled House of Representatives and will move into the Republican controlled Senate finally became the break that will keep the impeachment process in the news and maybe keep us interested.

This should not be a process that becomes so complex just because you have two divided government bodies vying for attention. With a national election so close that campaign debates are gaining political party attention and polling data is gathering news attention, there is really nothing of political substance to be gained by an event such as the impeachment trial. The fear most of us have is the concern that our country will just be further divided on yet another political grandstand activity that is of no real value to our nation.

The debate about the Presidential, Senate and House elections may be lessened by the confusion about foreign involvement in our voting outcome and the world events that the average American on the street cannot affect. But it creates television programing and fills newspapers. How many of us know when our voting machines are tied into an internet connection much less how they can be hacked by a foreign country to affect the voting totals? Is that meaningful information or something to discuss with absolutely no way to determine the validity of the information?

I can't help asking if we are being inundated with so much information that trying to discern the meaningful from the meaningless discourages the majority of our voting population from trying to stay informed.

At our house, we still like the print edition of the daily newspaper and the weekly paper you are reading. We are not the most computer literate couple and don't have smart phones so we shouldn't be confused with the majority of mainstream America. However, for those relying on television or smart phones trying to get the news depends on which network provides the particular political slant you want or that you have access to follow.

When we try to keep track of what is being done in our government to improve America's economic and physical health, we find the nation divided on more than political party lines. It seems that minority opinions on so many subjects take precedence over the final legislation that any subject can be defeated or watered down in an attempt to satisfy everyone. We hear it in speeches, picketing, political debates and the final outcome takes twice as long to achieve if it does get finished and signed by the President.

The Ukrainian airliner that was lost over Iran is going to produce another international incident that may finally be blamed on Trump's decision to kill the Iranian general recently.

There will not be a shortage of news. Hopefully we can stay focused on the important items -- if we can figure out which ones they are.

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Editor's note: Leo Lynch, an award-winning columnist, is a native of Benton County and has deep roots in northwest Arkansas. The opinions expressed are those of the author. He is a retired industrial engineer and former Justice of the Peace.