To the Editor:

I’m weary of the mayor sermonizing and cheerleading in his segment in the Salado Village Voice. What bothers me is the incessant underlying message that the mayor is trying to keep the Salado flock on the correct path — albeit and arguably his path — using questionable methods.

I don’t appreciate his patronizing and contiunal pats on the back of like-minded Salado citizenry. Just give me the facts and I’ll make up my own mind and give myself a part on the back, thank you.

People who don’t share the mayor’s views and vision for Salado are subtly marginalized as negative, not progressive, and in need of massaging their egos.

The approach may be indicative of the mayor’s own psychic needs for comformity in the flock’s thoughts. It serves as a great study of Janis’ Groupthink Theory in which leaders and like-minded groups strive for conformity in thought for their ends through marginlizing, coercion and ridicule, among others.

Our country was founded on the basis of dissent and the Constitution guarantees freedom of speech vice freeom from speech. The mayors also needs to recognize that many good decisions are arrived at through use of the Hegelican method of inquiry: Thesis (proponents); Antithesis (dissenters) and synthesis (taking the best elements of both).

So, please skip the sermonizing and stick to the “knitting.” The current approach by the mayor under estimates the intellect of his supposed flock.

Bob Pappas, Ph.D

Salado