Letter: Misdirection ignores issues that count

The sleight-of-hand magicians of the Cult of Trump, formerly known as the Republican Party, are counting on the naiveté of the American voters. They would have you believe that the main attraction is inflation and the high price of gas and that the fate of our democratic constitutional republic, women's reproductive rights and gun safety legislation are side shows.

They have directed our attention to highly visible and distressing developments in our economy. But they know that both inflation and the price of gasoline are global phenomena affecting every country in world. While the independent Federal Reserve can reduce inflation over time, Biden has no overall control over the price of gasoline and little leverage to bring down inflation. The magicians also know that they themselves have no plan or tools to address inflation or high gas prices. They are aided by a media who doesn't challenge them to reveal how they propose to get inflation or gas prices under control.

But inflation and high gas prices are transitory. They will disappear as issues in a reasonable amount of time. On the other hand, a former president and sitting members of Congress perpetrating a coup that tries to overthrow a free and fair election based on a big lie is likely a permanent end to our democratic constitutional republic if not checked now.

So, what is the main event and what is the distraction? The sleight-of-hand magicians are hoping that they will be able to distract you from what is important, at least through the 2022 and 2024 elections, by playing on your concerns about prices. When you go to the polls this fall, ask yourself: Are you going to base your vote on painful but short-term economic circumstance or on an aversion to permanent circumstances and changes that will transform our country into an autocracy?

Lynn Jensen

Arlington Heights