Kevin Hartung – Pima Post

3Mar

By Pima Post Editorial TeamNo Comments

Opinion

Column: Superfluous Man

By Kevin Hartung When did man become so nonessential in our society? It seems to me that an American way of thinking is to view our own beliefs or values through the prism of whether they are shared by others. This cult of personality ideology is, I believe, diametrically oppositional to the principles used by a free, democratic society. When an ideologue emerges, we should see the person as one formed by a cult of personality before we decide who or what he represents. Today. men let tribe mentality determine their values, their thinking, their actions, and their narrative. An individual lacks real power to make others sit up and take notice, so he uses the power of groupthink to get his message across. However, no matter how much control he has, another ideologue can convince the group ...

2Dec

By Pima Post Editorial TeamNo Comments

Opinion

Column: Fortitude for the season

Photo by Gabby Orcutt By Kevin Hartung Seems like there is extraordinarily little to be thankful for this year. COVID is still with us. The election has sparked more contentious actions. Unemployment has left families with few resources to sweeten the Christmas season. Businesses are attempting to recoup losses after a devastating lockdown and a population left in short supply of expendable capital. Even Hollywood is generating entertainment in a restrictive environment despite theater chains closing their doors. One might claim that there is little rationale for celebration. Yet, the holiday season is just around the corner, and Americans are not defined by their politics. We are not shaped by our sufferings. We find the reserves to survive and to commemorate the season. As always when ...

15Nov

By Pima Post Editorial TeamNo Comments

Opinion

Column: Mandate on toxic politics

By Kevin Hartung Taking the White House is a victory, holding the Senate and adding to the House number is also a win. Neither side generated a landslide victory indicating that a state of contention continues to exist in our country. We the people have found our voice. What played out in this election was ridding the government of venomous politicians and divisive actions. Voters are done with the antagonistic poison that exists in Washington, D.C. Clearly, the win was not a mandate for repealing legislation, but a directive to replace the antagonistic, revengeful discord among our elected officials. This may have been the highest turnout for an election since 1900, but it was not the repudiation hoped for or predicted. Past landslide elections have signaled shifts that carried America ...

Column: Blending opposing forces in humanity

13Nov

By Pima Post Editorial TeamNo Comments

Opinion

Column: Blending opposing forces in humanity

By Kevin Hartung Although not the only one, John F. Kennedy once said, “We recognize that what unites us is greater than what divides us…” This was true of both Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson. Both held individual visions for the United States and the nation needed both men. Theirs was not a close friendship but was a viable working relationship. We must stay motivated by our collective loyalties to begin the task of cohesive unification of opposing forces. An exceptional article on April 21, 2020, in the Saturday Evening Post by Nicholas Christakis on our connections is summarized in the following observation. There is evidence that we all carry in the genes of our brains a blueprint, a history of evolution, that shaped us as social beings. As social animals, we are equipped w...

Column: Preaching from the congressional pulpit

2Nov

By Pima Post Editorial TeamNo Comments

Opinion

Column: Preaching from the congressional pulpit

By Kevin Hartung A moralistic government is appealing but may not be plausible, unless you can conceive of a government without incongruities. Governments need to gauge what is fundamental to support wellbeing and what is an altruistic desire to support success. Some believe that a government ‘by the people and for the people’ should provide equal outcomes for all its citizens. Their ambitions are the result of research that establishes the downtrodden are victims of injustices; the poor result from unfair labor practices and unequal educational systems that exist in our nation. These believers desire improvement in the circumstances of the disadvantaged. Conversely, others believe that the blame for disadvantaged people lies on their own doorstep. The circumstances of indigents, they sa...

17Oct

By Pima Post Editorial TeamNo Comments

Opinion

Opinion: The American people are being fed misinformation, half-truths, and outright lies

By Kevin Hartung Today’s political polarization has stolen the knowledge base that eventually leads to our wisdom and without which we cannot make definitive and relevant decisions. We are facing a division in our country that recalls the contentious arguments between the North and South just before the Civil War. It is certainly demoralizing that today’s politicians lack even one courageous voice for saving the union. As Henry Clay, keenly aware of the controversial nature of his proposals, urged his colleagues “to beware, to pause, to reflect before they lend themselves to any purposes which shall destroy that Union.” Or as Senator Daniel Webster of Massachusetts declared: “I wish to speak today, not as a Massachusetts man, nor as a Northern man, but as an American . . . I speak today...