Just wondering
Dear editor:
For those who write opinion letters, do you ever wonder what the readers of your letter will do? Do you hope they will agree with your view and perhaps offer some meaningful commentary for or against your view? Obviously, you would want any commentary to be based on facts with a few examples for support.
However, there seems to a small number of individuals, largely Democrat, liberal, progressive, socialists whose solution to any disagreement is to attack and attempt to discredit the author or individual. The Kavanagh hearings are a prime example of this tactic, with other examples available for those who observe such nonsense. Of course, we also have the resisters who shout down those they oppose as evidence of their intellectual inferiority.
Recently, I had a published opinion letter attacked in a similar way. My letter espoused the view that too many voters are ignorant of candidates' views and issues. I continue to hold that view and offer the additional fact that less than half the voters even voted in the last mid-term election and others do not even register. Often I have had voters claim they are eligible to vote and have voted in the last election only to discover, they last voted over a decade ago and are now suspended per state law.
Far too many voters are single-issue voters who became impassioned by an ad or TV spot, which may or may not be true. Voters rarely have a personal platform on which to measure the aggregate performance of an incumbent and vote solely on the last issue they disagree. Almost none has a copy of the U.S. Constitution nor can explain why they are for or against the 16th Amendment.
If voters insisted on understanding the views of candidates and refused to vote for any candidate who did not answer questions from the sole Arkansas voter guide, not a single Democrat would have received one vote in the Arkansas 2018 elections since all refused to answer.
If you are incapable of formulating a clear, concise, factual rebuttal with those you disagree and must resort to name calling, personal attacks, or screaming at them, then I suggest you take an anger management class before a court imposes that requirement upon you.
Dennis L. Bosch
Hot Springs
Editorial on 02/15/2019