The politics of fear

In reflection on the state of this country, I am amazed how much fear motivates people. Fear of terrorism, fear of changing social mores, fear of...any change. Fear leads one to violence, to protect oneself from the (perceived) source of the fear. This is why the USA has the largest and most powerful military in the world, by far. How odd, however that over ten times as many people are killed on the highways EACH year than all the victims of terrorism in this country. But we don't stop driving our cars. The media obviously contributes greatly to this fear, since we now now almost instantaneously about a major events, even on the other side of the globe. And "if it bleeds, it leads" is the watchword. Because violence draws more viewers and it allows the networks to sell more soap, widgets, etc. But ultimately to blame are the people who tune in and think these events are a threat to happen in their back yards. There is little discrimination in the minds of these people about the likelihood of threats to their well-being. Fear and intelligence seem to be inversely correlated. So the immediate question is - how do we reduce fear?