GOP woos voters with easy choices
In his provocative letter of Oct. 4, John Mark Davis asks, “Why would workers ever vote for Republicans/conservatives?” That’s easy.
Founded in 1852 as the party of freedom, profiting from graft and corruption during the Civil War and Reconstruction, the Republicans quickly became the party of money, class and privilege. But because theirs is a tiny political constituency they have always had to attract other, often disparate, groups to garner enough votes to win elections.
Goldwater began wooing Southerners in 1964 with his “Southern Strategy.” Then Nixon convinced workers to cut their own economic throats with his “hard hats” campaign in ’68. Reagan injected school prayer and abortion and gay rights in 1980 and seduced the religious right, led by Southern evangelicals, into the coalition.
The Solid South, Democratic since the Civil War, and much of what was left of organized labor was now firmly Republican for at least two generations.
Both groups tend to be easily influenced, auto-suggestive and have a low tolerance threshold for ambiguity. Everything must be black and white, no shades of gray, no moral dilemmas. And wouldn’t this be a nice, cozy, orderly world if things were really that way. Unfortunately, they’re not.
GEORGE B. REED JR.
Fort Oglethorpe
Why not put GOP back in control?
Everybody get out Nov. 2 and put us Republicans back in control of your government.
How great it would be to have your Social Security funds in the hands of our nation’s largest private banks and investment firms! And Medicare and health care? Everybody knows that giant insurance and pharmaceutical companies have the answer to our health concerns … don’t get sick.
And what crazy idiot really believes government should actually govern? Why would you want to regulate Wall Street or any mega-corporation?
So what if Bush’s “free market economy” cost you your pension and retirement savings, and you went upside-down on your mortgage? Can’t you take a joke? Fraudulent? Unethical? Illegal? Boo-hoo.
What a foolish idea to take away the top 2 percent’s tax break. Look at the gazillions of jobs it created in other places over the world the past 10 years.
How about giving a big “shout out” to owners and management of the oil drilling industry. Who likes oysters anyway?
Why slog forward with workable programs and consumer legislation that would throw a wet blanket over all the fun we had during the Bush era. It’s only money. Spin that roulette wheel. Give us another chance. You won’t be sorry.
GREG WILLIAMS
Signal Mountain
Act decently, support victories
In the mental health field, the opposite of feeling depressed is to feel grateful. Yet we are so divided as a people, we do not feel grateful that (50) million Americans who did not have health care coverage, now or by law soon will have it.
President Obama and a Democratic Congress passed legislation accomplishing that, without one single Republican vote, and over opposition that managed to leave confusion, fear and hatred in its wake. But that will pass, as fear of Social Security, minimum wage and Medicare passed, and we will grow to understand that providing basic health care coverage is another essential function that a healthy democracy must perform to survive.
Today the wealth and power of huge corporate interests are out of balance to the degree that those interests can convince many people that to challenge them is “socialism.”
A better word for it is “decency,” and when we as a government act decently, we as a people must learn to celebrate and support such a victory.
FAYE WALTER
Sewanee, Tenn.
Raise tax rates to those of 1950s
Why are we talking about extending Bush tax cuts and not a significant tax increase on the highest income Americans?
The country is in trouble. We are struggling with economic consequences of two wars. We are gripped by the worst recession since the 1930s. The country is deeply in debt. Our infrastructure is collapsing. Teachers are being laid off and education funding cut.
Given the situation the country is in, this would be counterproductive. We should return to the tax structure of the 1950s where the highest marginal income tax rates were 91 percent and 92 percent.
Even with those high rates we saw a huge increase in the standard of living for the vast majority of our citizens. We became the most productive country in the world. With the current lower tax rates this has changed.
Counties are ripping up paved roads because gravel ones are cheaper. Our bridges are collapsing. Our education system is in tatters and our health care system slides back toward third-world standards. Our manufacturing base is in shambles.
And we are seriously talking about extending tax cuts for the very rich? That would make all our problems worse.
GERALDINE POWELL
Signal Mountain
‘Save’ America for working citizens
Conservatives complain about taxes, but according to the bipartisan Congressional Budget Office, taxes are actually at or near historic lows. In the past 30 years, taxes were lower only in 2003 and 2004.
They want smaller government, and statements by their candidates in the November election indicate they mean cuts in social safety net programs like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and unemployment insurance. It is at least refreshing that these candidates, unlike their party leaders, are honest about their intentions.
They want all the Bush tax cuts continued, but those tax cuts resulted in three times the amount of deficit than was created by the stimulus, about which they bitterly complain.
And, if all the tax cuts are extended, workers earning $100,000-$200,000 in 2015 will pay 5 percent-9 percent more of their incomes in federal taxes than those making $1 million.
In fact, in 2007 the 400 wealthiest Americans (with minimum incomes of $139 million) paid 16.7 percent in income taxes – a smaller percentage than a single person earning $100,000.
They want to “Save America.” Well, I want to save it too, but I want to “save” it for working Americans not wealthy trust-fund elites.
MARY ANN CROWE
Crossville, Tenn.
Wolfe represents Tennessee values
After 15 long years with Zach Wamp as our representative, Tennessee’s 3rd District citizens finally have a chance to secure a seat in the U.S. House with a man who will represent the average Tennessee family.
John Wolfe won the Democratic primary, but he’ll put people before party politics. John will work to bring living wage jobs to our district, but he’ll first make sure the benefits outweigh the state giveaways.
In Washington, John will fight for our Tennessee values: affordable, accessible health care for all who need it; less government intrusion into our personal lives, including a woman’s right to make decisions about her own body; economic fairness for middle- and lower-income families; and, protecting Social Security from privatization.
The Republican candidate, Chuck Fleischmann, won’t even face us. He continues to hide behind the big bucks that extremists have poured into his campaign. Don’t you want a congressman who’s not afraid to look you in the eye and tell you what he stands for? Don’t you want someone who understands your priorities? Don’t you want someone who can’t be bought? John is the people-operated candidate.
Let’s raise the bar for the 3rd District on Nov. 2.
BAMBI EVANS