Dear editor:
News accounts say that Donald Trump's main constituency is white working men. It is likely that Trump would, if given a chance, betray his constituency as did Ronald Reagan. President Reagan began the destruction of unions and initiated the massive lowering of wages for working people. Also, Ronald Reagan's policies encouraged thousands of immigrants into the USA, and yes, I believe, gave them amnesty as one method of crushing unions. Historical amnesia and clever propaganda by the right-wingers now scapegoat immigrants, liberals, etc., instead of laying the blame on Presidents Nixon and Reagan for ruining the Latin America economy through right-wing "Chicago School" Scroogian capitalism and enticing these destitute people into America through other policies.
Why don't working men realize who really are their enemy? Part of the right-wing class warfare and lowering of wages consisted of the creation of a huge propaganda mill (culture wars, think tanks, hate radio like Rush Limbaugh, dog whistles, calls to patriotism, etc.). Much of this mind-altering material was aimed at the working man.
The early right-wing road to dominion was also quite clever. Books like "The Road to Dominion" by Sara Diamond show early efforts. While moderate and liberal politicians were busy trying to contain Communist Soviet Union and keep the world from blowing up, the right-wingers were using such natural emotions as patriotism and wanting to protect families through the trillion-dollar military industrial complex. Actor Ronald Reagan was anti-communist but promoted the right-wing economy, even though it appears nowhere in the Constitution or writings of our Founding Fathers. Right-wing intellectuals promoted un-American, superman economy of the Austrian school (Ludwig von Mises and Frederich Hayek), plus anti-religious Ayn Rand's supermen, instead of Jefferson and "All Men Are Created Equal."
Another ploy to enable the right-wingers to control the country, the religious angle was really a lucky break for the right. The successful religious mythology of the right-wingers was brought about, according writer David Brock (The only real defector from the right-wing, he started his career by writing books and articles against Anita Hill and Bill Clinton.), because they could get free radio time and charge many expenses as tax-exempt. These shows legitimately talked about Communism, but had too many elements of the far right, such as an emphasis on hating public schools and pushing the right-wing ideology concerning the economy.
I am proud to be a Christian and I believe that if a large majority could follow the example of Jesus Christ without too much hypocrisy, the world would be a better place. Prayers, many prayers, are needed for our country.
But I think the two main right-wing myths on Christianity are wrong: 1. Christianity is endangered by liberals and the Democratic Party, and 2. only the right-wing view of Christianity is legitimate. Christianity is in the gravest danger from Christian sects: dominionism of Ted Cruz and Reconstructionism are much more dangerous because they preach a theocracy to take the place of our Constitution. Reconstrustionists want to stone almost everyone.
Linda Woodbury
Hot Springs
Editorial on 05/22/2016