POLITICAL CAMPAIGN WAS HEALTHY

To the editor:

When a person goes to the doctor or participates in a political campaign, he should expect to be told what is wrong and what has to be done to strengthen his or the national well being of the country.On that basis, we have just experienced one of the healthiest political-campaign analyses in our history. There is now probably a greater hope for our country and each individual resident than there may have ever been. We have not only seen the arms of many political aspirants made bare but also many other parts.

We should be grateful that every four years we have an opportunity to objectively examine the physical, moral, mental and spiritual blemishes and weaknesses of our present and future political leaders. It may be a base burlesque show of a short, but as a citizenry we see the many problems reasonably well and we learn what must be done to help strengthen our national health and well being.

Those of us who think that a leader can sustain the pressure, strain, tension and everything else that rests upon his shoulders when a oral cancer is eating away his soul are indeed grossly naive. Although we may not like to see or hear about the effects of infectious diseases or problems shouted from the housetops with inglorious details, unless we become somewhat aware of them, the tendency is to do very little or nothing about them - to our own self-betrayal.

Until we can sustain unpleasant problems (negative campaigning) with a positive attitude, we may be nothing more than the blind following the blind. Our so-called negative campaigning can always be a great positive experience for everyone who will, in the great tradition of America, rally behind the winners and support their arm of leadership despite the fact that he may have campaigned or voted against them.

Our sharp political campaigning and commitment of support when a winner is chosen, is analogous to the great teaching, "Reproving betimes with sharpness when moved upon (by our best inspiration of right and wrong) and; then showing forth afterwards an increase of (cooperation and prayer) towards him who thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy." To do otherwise is to make ourselves enemies to our own basic welfare.

I take my hat off with respect and admiration to all of us losers who become the real winners when we convert negativism into positivism by burying the hatchet with the pick and shovel of hard work in behalf of the bottom-line welfare of all American residents.

Scott L. Beesley

Salt Lake City