Aside from the fear topics, other matters are worth talking about

Terrorism, the fear of terrorism, violent crime and issues about immigration and refugees have forced themselves to the forefront of American news reports and political discussions.

While concern is justified by all-too-many recent tragic events, other aspects of our lives do not grind to a halt. Other public issues and concerns don’t go away, and neither do joyous events of the holiday season.

What other things do you wish would receive national, state or local attention, to not be crowded out of the public spotlight in the midst of all this fear and worry?

The real point is that if we don’t elect the right people to take care of those things first, the rest will hardly matter.

The facts are that the media are businesses, which, on their own, gravitate to and “force” the morbid and violent to the forefront in competition for ratings and advertising income.

So the better question might be: How do you constitutionally reform the general journalistic integrity of the media?

That might even enhance and change the view of the low-informed voter.

The terms “fear of” and “safe from” focus on outside dangers in the news.

A scarier and bigger story is what’s going on inside the United States.

Our civil service is being hollowed out. Our infrastructure has been neglected for years. Our sense of community is fractured by political calculation.

The lessons of our rich history — one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all — remain unlearned by too many of our citizens.

The Soviet Union collapsed from within when its citizens had to stand in line for bread, didn’t have access to technology, and met with a corrupt system at every turn. While we are nowhere near such dire straits, just where has our American dream gone?

How can we be the beacon of democracy to the world when our shining house on the hill is falling down around our ears?

To a libertarian, the underlying issues are always the same.

We have used our political freedom to vote away our personal freedom and that of our neighbors.

By empowering government to spend our money on anything it wants and regulate whatever portions of our conduct it wants, we have made ourselves slaves of the state.

We should limit government to protecting us from force and fraud. A free people’s compassion is not coerced; their charity is voluntary.

Eliminate public education, public hospitals, Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare, food stamps, corporate welfare. Legalize recreational drugs, prostitution, gambling.

Decide the point at which a fetus becomes a legal person and don’t hinder abortion before then. Restrict regulation to that which protects us from wrongful harm. Give religion no more or less recognition than Tarot cards or horoscopes.

A properly limited government could concentrate on protecting us from enemies foreign and domestic.

The focus should be on Congress.

For years now, our senators and representatives have deprived us of any meaningful or productive government, not to mention the mind-boggling sums of money they’ve cost the country and/or wasted.

A museum on “The Hill” would be worth more to our country!

Speak up, citizens! As Americans you have the right to expect more for your vote and, as important, for your tax dollar.

I defy any one of them to explain or convince me or you of any tangible contribution of substance or worth they’ve contributed.

I dare you to demand more for your continued support. As an American, you deserve it. As a voter, you have the right to expect it, and you should hold them accountable at the polls.

Frankly, Scarlett, I do give a damn, and so should you!

Avoid placing too much emphasis on foreign terrorism. Keep things in proportion.

Example: Just a few days before we became obsessed with two Islamic terrorists killing 14 people in San Bernardino, Calif., police said a mass killer massacred six Americans at a campsite near Palestine, only about 100 miles southeast of Dallas.

Five out of six people whom I randomly polled had never heard of the incident.

The assassination of Kaufman County officials — district attorney and assistant district attorney — did not get near enough coverage.

The Obama administration gets no credit or coverage for all the good it has done — especially on the economy.

Mass transportation, high-speed rail and water needs, the keys to our future, should get much more discussion.

My biggest concern is healthcare and the deplorable conditions caused by Obamacare.

I lost my health insurance plan and doctor as a result of Obamacare.

Before Obamacare, my insurance premiums were stable and even decreased in the year before Obamacare. My new insurance premiums are more than 200 percent higher than before and will increase more next year.

In addition to the higher rates, I have a less extensive plan.

Most of us worked all of our lives and contributed to Social Security and Medicare to plan for retirement.

Jeb Bush even had the audacity to propose a plan with higher rates for the elderly and sick. That’s a stupid proposal.

Insurance is for people who need it, not just young, healthy people so corporations can make a fortune.

It must be nice to be a wealthy politician who never had to work a day in his life.

Next to our extreme declining morality, our national economy is of more dire concern.

Not so much for me, an octogenarian, but for my children and grandchildren.

We are trillions of dollars in debt and pay millions in interest for our borrowed money.

We continue to go deeper into debt, with involvement in wars, aid to other countries, money for national security since 9-11, the Islamic State group, welfare and many other spending programs.

I’m reminded of a movie in which an athlete yells to his agent: “Show me the money!”

I’m deeply concerned for our nation, now and in the future, and I join in that yell: “Show me the money!”

Baby boomers are the largest demographic age group of people who read newspapers.

They’re the ones born from 1946 through 1964 and total 75 million. And there are about 10,000 Americans who reach age 65 every day, so let’s get with the program and start reporting on what’s interesting, beneficial and fun to read.

To help, and in no particular order, here are 10 subject areas worthy of reporting: 1) historical reviews of people, places and things, 2) health and nutrition, 3) financial and market strategies, 4) human interest profiles, 5) Social Security/Medicare/Medicaid updates, 6) area services, 7) volunteerism, 8) physical fitness, 9) safety/security ideas, 10) recreational/educational/cultural opportunities.

These are more worthwhile than many of the fear stories reported over and over.

This story was originally published December 18, 2015 at 5:53 PM with the headline "Aside from the fear topics, other matters are worth talking about."