Simple solutions for simple men
A Tea Party man stopped by to ask for my vote. After some conversation, I understood the meaning of the Tea Party. They represent the emerging power of the simple man.
His solution for poverty? End welfare. He decides who he wants to help. I asked how many poor people in our county his resources and mine combined could help. He had no answer for that nuance. His solution for crime? Get people into church. If only life were that simple.
Some of our Founding Fathers feared that in a democracy, the uneducated and weak-minded could be elected to office by an electorate filled with uneducated and weak-minded citizens. That possibility is becoming likely.
Once in office, what will these simple men do? They will work hard to prevent our government from working. Indeed, it will be a simple enough task for them to dismantle two centuries of systemic change that is slowly creating a more just society.
These simple men are what Harry Truman would call, “do nothin’, good for nothin’ ” politicians. The irony is that these simple men will gladly accept our tax dollars to pay their salary and benefits.
The Tea Party is that simple.
WILLIAM D. HEARD
Ringgold, Ga
Look closer, see reason for gun law
It seems proponents and opponents of the “guns in restaurants” law are both missing the major point of the law. Are the fanatical fringes so wrapped up in their views that they fail to see the forest for the trees?
I see the point of the law to have a more practical purpose. It is not so much to protect oneself in a dining establishment as it is to protect one’s family on their way from and back to their vehicle.
The areas around some of the finer restaurants in town can be rather threatening. If the thugs realized that the “fleecing of the lambs” could become the “revolt of the rams,” they might not be as inclined to accost the patrons of these establishments.
You may say that this is not a real problem. Whether it is or not does not really matter. It is the perception of this problem that keeps some people wary or completely away. Let the law-abiding citizen protect their families.
FRED CARTER
Politicians are good at killing the goose
Having spent much of my life as a salesman, paid only out of sales income, I’m neither surprised nor amused at the advice being offered regarding the budget and our Memorial Auditorium. There is a fairly easy solution, although not one appealing to politicians. Hire a national marketing firm with a good track record in this field, and offer them a percentage of the income from bookings into the place.
The only problem will be keeping our civic leaders from cutting them off when they are highly successful and making a load of money. You can hear the argument now: “Why, those fellas are making a fortune here. Let’s not renew their contract; we can hire a few friends at a nice salary to do the same job and save millions of dollars!” In case you have missed the point, this is called “killing the goose that lays the golden eggs.” Unfortunately, it is fore-ordained by the very nature of folks who run for public office.
BILL LAUDEMAN