Arrest inciters of recent riots
After reading the two articles titled "Constitutional Crisis Defined" and "The Cosby Show" on page B7 of the Chattanooga Free Press on Nov. 28, 2014, I have a question that I think deserves an answer.
When will the city of Ferguson, Mo., issue arrest warrants for Al Sharpton and all his cronies who were instrumental in promoting the race riots in Ferguson?
Byron Hendrix
Democrats unable to tout success
Without question, Republicans have been far more successful in denouncing President Obama and his administration than Democrats in defending them.
Polls have resulted in disapproval of Obamacare, but much higher approval when asked about ACA, its benefits and enrollment potential for widespread health insurance coverage.
Neither the president nor Democrats have been successful in pointing out the remarkable recovery of this country when faced with the worst economic collapse since the Great Depression.
More than 4 million jobs were lost in the last year of the Bush administration. To date there has been an increase in 5 million jobs and the lowest unemployment rate since 2008.
Democrats have not been successful in demonstrating that during this administration the automobile industry faced with collapse is now thriving, corporate income is at its highest and industries are increasingly returning production to this country due, among other matters, to the superiority of American labor.
Add to this that inflation is under control, gas prices are lower and the stock market is higher than ever.
John Bratton, Sewanee, Tenn.
Attitudes not all that different
Let's get real about Emma Lazarus' 1883 words enshrined in the Statue of Liberty, "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses ..." We didn't mean them then, don't mean them now and have never meant them.
Americans have only encouraged immigration when there was a selfish economic need for it, and then only grudgingly.
In the 1800s, we admitted newcomers from eastern and southern Europe to work dangerous, unskilled jobs in the coal fields, ore mines and steel mills of Pennsylvania and the textile mills of New England.
The fact that they were oppressed refugees fleeing the autocratic regimes of old Europe was not a consideration; we only wanted their cheap labor. But we resented them being here.
These new Americans faced almost as much prejudice and discrimination as African- Americans. It took several generations for them to be fully accepted as Americans.
At least in the current Latino influx we see comparatively little overt bitterness, ethnic hatred and violence. Maybe we've learned something.
George B. Reed Jr., Rossville
Let's hear it for 'fat cats'
This letter is about the "fat cat" whose $20 million yacht sat at Ross's Landing upon its return from the Tennessee-Alabama football game. You had a picture of it in your Nov. 6 publication.
Several interesting conclusions can be factually drawn from the existence of this very expensive craft.
The owner has accumulated some wealth and has done the following: He enjoys a comfortable lifestyle most of us cannot have.
I was gainfully employed and retired at age 75, and I cannot live like this.
Let us consider the fairness of it all.
It takes several people to operate this craft. The captain, cook, steward, engineer and two servers have jobs. Additionally, people had jobs to build it, plus those who periodically maintain and refurbish it.
This man employs people who help him create his wealth. Not a single tax dollar was spent to create these jobs. Further, he has necessarily created other employment at his office and with his projects.
The conclusion of all this is that capitalism is an essential ingredient of the lifestyle of us all.
Government does not create jobs with its own money. People do!
James Caldwell