Sioux deserve government respect
The protest of the oil pipeline in North Dakota has drawn national attention. Many supporters and critics of the protests are engaging in heated and dangerous confrontation, while many on both sides are ignorant of the real issues and the deep fissures between the Sioux Nation and the United States government.
Our federal government has once again mishandled its affairs with the Sioux Nation. Our government provides billions of dollars in aid to foreign nations each year. Ambassadors are appointed to provide personal, face-to- face discussion with the governments of foreign nations. The Sioux Nation is a sovereign nation, albeit a defeated nation, within the boundaries of the United States. Yet their concerns, if not completely ignored, are relegated to some low level bureaucrat in the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
The tribes of the Sioux Nation have been treated dishonorably for over 140 years. The legislative and executive branches of our government should appoint an official ambassador to interface with these tribes. They fought to the precipice of extinction protecting their families and lands, and their defeat only came after the bison herds were exterminated. They are a people worthy of some respect and honor.
Dan C. Johnson
'Freeloaders' are who really won election
It has been amusing to read letters from Trump ditto heads extolling the virtues of the Electoral College.
There have been two writers from Winchester, Tenn., who claim that this antiquated and undemocratic system is "fair" because rural America supports the welfare queens in urban America. Ergo, rural Americans' votes should carry greater weight.
The racial overtones of this narrative are abhorrent, and factually, a complete fabrication. The truth is that the good citizens of Winchester, like all Tennesseans, are federal freeloaders. In the past 35 years, (and maybe longer) Tennessee has received millions more dollars in federal assistance than they have paid in federal taxes. For every dollar in federal taxes, Tennesseans get back an average of more than $1.25.
The idea that rural America drives the economy is equally absurd. The recent presidential election is a case in point. Generally, large metropolitan areas voted for Clinton while rural areas voted for Trump. Data collected by Moody's Analytics and analyzed by Brookings indicate that the 472 counties that voted for Clinton produce 64 percent of our GDP while the 2,584 counties that voted for Trump produce only 36 percent of GDP. The freeloaders won.
Terry Stulce
Ooltewah
Our schools need full community attention
Our Hamilton County school system is back in the negative news columns again. Both Signal Mountain and Red Bank are motivated to consider leaving due to so much low performance in our schools. Friday's Page One story paraphrases Board of Education member Karitsa Mosley-Jones as saying, "it's time people from across the county stepped in and helped schools improve so the state doesn't intervene."
Mosley-Jones comes close to what I think is a fundamental weakness that our community needs to address to get students achieving high success in learning. Almost nowhere do I see it said that the community needs to support the families of the students to succeed.
It's not just what is done by teachers and support staff and the community "in" the schools that is needed. It is also what happens at home. Parents need to support and expect their child to attend school and seriously learn. We the community also need to directly support families to succeed in doing that. Only when students hear that unified voice continually over time will they listen and believe and do that learning that ultimately is the path to the life the student does want.
John Hubbard