Editor,
I cannot, for the life of me figure out why the president, his lifelong judicial appointees, and his cabinet seem to be heading toward the establishment of a Fascist state. I ask myself what is it that is so appealing about corruption and tyranny?
Stanford University (my alma mater) psychology professor Brian Knutson used modern brain-imaging technology to associate regions of the brain with specific behaviors, as in the experiment of playing the stock market. Profitable stock sales and “pleasure centers” had a connection, as well as being linked to sexual orgasms and cocaine use.
Losses and fear of loss activated an area of the brain that has been associated with painful experiences. I guess this means that the greedy ones get pleasure out of stealing and fear the pain of working for a living.
Capitalism encourages the desire for more and more wealth beyond the necessities of life. Under a different system, like socialism, accumulating more wealth than any one person could ever use would be considered a sickness.
Greed is not necessarily a part of human nature. It is an acquired taste, which if indulged in continually, exacerbates lust, selfishness, and disdain for those who are not rich.
It seems that those who call themselves “religious” and voted for Cheatolini would ask their God for forgiveness for encouraging one of the Seven Deadly Sins. However, those religious followers of the president, perhaps, wish they could also be greedy rich people who do not care for their fellow citizens.
Trella Laughlin