I should read the letters page more often. Jared Bristol from Hebron (Nov. 20) pronounced himself “almost maniacal” over President Barack Obama’s nefarious attempts to “divert” the American public (divert from what isn’t clear; perhaps we’ll be enlightened in a subsequent letter. It certainly can’t be the economy. As if we needed reminding, the president keeps telling us we have a long road to recovery).

Anyway, back to “maniacal,” which means the gentleman from Hebron is on the verge of a “mania,” a mental disorder of sorts.

Well, I have a prescription: Stop watching Fox News.

If people want principled, rational, conservative thinking, go to the Wall Street Journal or my favorite columnist, the right-of-center David Brooks, who, incidentally, just praised Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner for stabilizing the financial system to the point where “the debate now is what to do with the billions that were never needed” in bailout funds.

In a functioning democracy, we should all try to consume news that informs, not ideological hysteria that feeds so-called “populist” frenzy.

Dave Griffiths, Mechanic Falls