Pointing the gun back at politicians

Those of us still occasionally watching old-fashioned local television instead of streaming everything through computers or phones have begun wondering whether we’ve suddenly time-warped back to Bleeding Kansas.

Watching one gubernatorial wielding what appears to be an assault weapon, then riding around in a military vehicle with what looks like a .50 caliber machine gun mounted in the back, is a bit over the top, even for the biggest of gun hobbyists. To see that commercial followed back to back by one from an opponent who wields as much mud as his adversary does weaponry leaves the average citizen yearning for a candidate who will address the issues that are important to real people —issues like these:

Eliminating robo-calls, especially the ones that spoof neighbors’ caller IDs, let you talk only to a machine or to a human who seems as programmed as a machine, and try to pass themselves of as representing agencies or companies they aren’t. I’ve been counting this past week. So far I’ve received a total of 37 such calls. If they come from the U.S., they ought to be easy to stop. If they come from Kyrgyzstan, instead of saying we’re powerless, why not do as the Chinese do and threaten to block them from our phone and internet system until the Kyrgs, or whomever, get their act together.

Eliminating spam, especially from companies you don’t want to deal with and from malicious programs that send you links to weight loss, sex aid, dating, and miracle drug sites as if the emails were coming from someone you know.

Stop giving postal mailers discounts for junk mail that we haven’t asked for and instead start delivering in a timely manner, instead of weeks later and in crumpled condition, things we actually do want.

Eliminate the social media loophole that lets Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and others escape all liability for whatever they allow to be posted. If someone walks in and asks us to run an ad, we’re liable if the ad violates copyright, invades privacy, harasses, or defames. Why aren’t social media subject to the same laws instead of being able to wash their hands of terrible abuses and make money by the bucketful by not having to hire humans to review what’s posted.

Get rid of curmudgeonly editorial writers who constantly harken back to days when politicians debated instead of shouted, when citizens cared rather than blamed, and when people considered it their civic duty to keep up with all the news, not just the news that they and their friends agreed with.

Then again, maybe we should be careful what we wish for.

— Eric Meyer