Conservatives need to tell whole story
Some writings in the Sunday Perspective were good examples of the Rant that declared that conservatives are champions of partial truth. The king of rhetorical blather, Thomas Sowell, represented that Rant well.
One writer said that after WWII, Germany applied the principles of free market economics and recovered “almost overnight.” He forgot the Marshall Plan, which was a capital bailout for Germany and others. He forgot that Germany nationalized its railroad system as well as Volkswagen. He did not mention that Germany was forbidden to spend a dime on defense, only infrastructure. Imagine what that would do for any country.
He forgot the economic break from East Germany. He forgot about Germany’s highly skilled work force that survived the war. He forgot that the crippling of the West German economy allowed opportunities to modernize industry with up-do-date equipment and techniques.
I agree that we should remind ourselves of what capitalism is. I disagree that Bush was not a free-market president. When we examine the administrations of other free-market presidents, we see that during their administrations workers were paid peasant wages during periods with panics, recessions and a Great Depression.
Please, conservatives, tell the whole story.
IAN CLAUDIUS SMITH
Signal Mountain
City should stop giving to charities
(Regarding City Council member Pam Ladd’s proposal for funding charitable agencies.)
Charity is a voluntary action between the giver and the taker. Taxes are not voluntary. City officials have no right to give taxpayer money to any charity. The City Council partakes in too many charities and not enough effort to run the city.
The city can’t afford to pave the streets, but you can afford to run a hotel at a loss. You can’t afford to pay the police and fire departments a living wage, but you can lose money on entertainment venues. Sell your charities, the Memorial Auditorium and Tivoli. Sell your hotel charity. Give your stadium to the university, and go to work running the city.
The mayor needs recalling, and from the follow the non-existent leader attitude of the City Council, most of you can stand to be gone also. Do the hard job, Mrs. Ladd. Lead. Get off the tax hike and let the taxpayers decide what charity to give their own money to.
MARK TYSON
U.S. billions aided nations’ recovery
On Sunday (June 27), one of your readers wrote a letter titled “Learn capitalism before bashing it.”
This letter might be a conservative attempt at another rewrite of history or simply an entirely uninformed statement.
Yes, Germany and Belgium rose from the ashes of World War II, and they did make a swift recovery. But the writer failed to note a very important fact. The United States, through the Marshall Plan, gave these countries billions (yes, billions in 1948 dollars) to rebuild. Without that aid the recovery of these nations could not have been as rapid or sustainable.
One result of this recovery was the creation of the best “government” health care plans in the world – something conservatives would label as “socialist.”
GEORGE T ADAMS
Rossville
Tell city to reject Ooltewah zoning
A 250-unit apartment complex has been proposed for a 23-acre parcel of land on Hunter Road in Ooltewah. This parcel is surrounded by single-family dwellings, and the proposal is in clear violation of the Wolftever Creek area land use plan.
The area in question is low density (R-1) residential. The proposed apartments require high density R-3, which does not match the character of the neighborhood currently and has never been a part of the land use plan.
Why is ignoring the land-use plan dangerous? Because, if ignored, no property in or bordering Chattanooga has any protection from future land use proposals that are supported by powerful local interests and politicians. No home or land can be purchased with any assurance of how the community will be developed.
Please join me in encouraging the Chattanooga City Council to deny the current request to rezone the parcel for multifamily housing. Your support can be shown by signing an online petition at www.voiceforooltewah.org.
SUSAN BURTON
Ooltewah
Put Fields’ wisdom on commission
I would like to ask you to consider voting for my friend, Jim Fields. Jim is the Republican candidate for the Hamilton County Commission, District 2.
Jim has worked as a lawyer in Chattanooga for 25 years. He has served on several nonprofit boards on Signal Mountain, where he and Pam live, as well as in Chattanooga.
Jim is an active member of Signal Mountain Presbyterian Church, where he has served as a deacon and an elder.
I am always impressed with Jim’s wisdom concerning the Hamilton County government and its business.
Remember to vote on Aug. 5.
NANCY GILL
Signal Mountain
Court ‘labels’ an oxymoron
The Times editorial “The gun-rights mess” (June 30), begins by referring to the “conservative majority of the Supreme Court,” followed by ranting, raving, weeping and gnashing of teeth, and a healthy helping of hand-wringing about the court’s decision to uphold the Second Amendment gun rights of individuals. They conclude by referring to the “court’s activist radicals,” followed by more of the same.
In the interest of open-mindedness, I read both sides of the opinion pages every day. However, I am having a hard time reconciling “conservative/activist radicals.” Seems like an oxymoron to me. I wonder how a “liberal/level headed” majority would have ruled? Another oxymoron, maybe?
STEVE BERNTHAL
Blairsville, Ga.
Colombian leaders enjoy U.S. dollars
Reading the editorial about Colombia (June 28), it amazed me the lack of information the writer has. Current Colombian President Alvaro Uribe had proven strong ties with Pablo Escobar, one of the biggest drug dealers of Colombia’s history.
During Uribe’s presidency, 55 percent of the population became poor, several members of his team are now in jail because of their ties with paramilitary army (an outlaw group responsible for massacres and terrorizing people), the case of false positives (regular peasants were assassinated and made to appear as leftist rebels by the Colombian Army), and the illegal wiretapping of the opposition leaders.
This dirty game supported by Mr. Uribe was led and created by the defense minister, Juan Manuel Santos, the now elected president of Colombia. He didn’t win because Colombia has a great democracy; actually many communities were threatened if they voted, others were blocked, and the abstentionism reached 62 percent.
How do you explain that with all the millions of dollars the U.S.A. sends to Colombia, the cocaine production grew 25 percent?
Perhaps Mr. Uribe and Juan Manuel Santos enjoy the big dollars and can care less about combating the drugs business in Colombia.
MARTHA PRICE
East Ridge