Trump urged to stop bashing Hispanics
Mr. President-elect Trump:
Stop the Mexican bashing! Mexicans aren't the problem.
I own an irrigation distributorship and deal daily with Mexicans and other Hispanics. The men I do business with are working family men with the same values you have. They work hard and many do hard work. Several of them own businesses and provide jobs.
When was the last time you saw a construction crew without Hispanics? There is a reason for that phenomenon. They actually work, and the owners of the businesses employing them and their clients both receive value for their dollar.
Contrary to popular misconception, they pay taxes and contribute billions to our economy.
They are part of the fabric of America. We should thank them for coming here and doing jobs you or your children won't do.
They are potential Republicans as they work and support their families. They are not a drain on our economy but rather a powerful economic contributor.
Jim Howard
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Trump voters made a long-shot bet
I spent the first few days after the presidential election sadly wondering how the unthinkable could happen. But lately that sadness has morphed into disgust. I am appalled that so many of my neighbors, especially those who have almost every demographic advantage, made the choice that they did.
If you voted for Donald Trump, you may not be a racist but you sure embraced racism with your vote. You may believe in treating women with respect, but you excused someone who does not. You may not be a bully, but you definitely validated one. You may be intelligent, but you welcomed willful ignorance on many important issues.
And you did this knowingly, because why? Because you hope this megalomaniacal ultra-rich man is going to drive change that benefits you?
Really? Other than talk, what has he ever done to make you think this?
I love my country and I hope the best for it and all of you, but that feels completely delusional to me, like wagering your soul on a super long-shot bet.
Take a look at who Mr. Trump is proposing for cabinet. Does that look like "draining the swamp" to you?
Russell Clark, Dunlap, Tenn.
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Years-long leftward march finally over
After Trump's election, a friend asked me, "Was I dancing in the street?" I replied, "No, I was just relieved." I was relieved that the decades-long march of the liberal movement was interrupted.
This leftward march has highjacked the Democratic Party. It has dictated participation in a flawed health care paradigm. It has corrupted institutions of higher learning. It has infected our youth. It has contaminated the mainstream media. It has created elites without a connection to our citizenry. It has damaged our culture by aggressively enforcing political correctness and relative morality.
It grew government to support greater dependency. It tarnished our courts and legal system. And it buried us in debt, threatening the future of our children and grandchildren.
Time will tell whether this interruption is only temporary or is the start of a counter movement that will truly endure and restore our country to its past greatness.
Mike Budnick, Winchester, Tenn.