There appears to be a small group that has the idea that common people have limited vision and even more limited minds, and, therefore, need to be “guided.” Members of that group are expert at playing psychological games.

Those elitists can be found on school boards, town governments, the Legislature, in Washington, D.C., and other places, looking out for the salvation of common people.

Common people, on the other hand, might view those elitists as a clueless group, lost within its own little time bubble.

In a democracy, a person is supposed to be allowed to criticize the government. There is no rule about the right to dissent against the workings of a government, or against those within.

Those who utter words such as “Show up or shut up,” to nonvoters need to be shown sympathy. They are lost “elitists” from this time bubble, frozen in their own ignorance.

However, as Voltarine de Cleyre wrote, “On the other hand, so long as the people do not care to exercise their freedom, those who wish to tyrannize (dictate) will do so, for tyrants are active and ardent, and will devote themselves in the name of any number of gods, religious and otherwise, to put shackles upon sleeping men.”

Do we have freedom and control over our towns, school boards, Legislature or those in Washington? Or do they control us?

Bob Burton, Industry