Trump’s appeal is scary for country
I find the popularity of Donald Trump quite frightening.
Adolf Hitler also appealed to people’s angers. He, too, scapegoated a whole group of people; in Trump’s case, illegal immigrants.
Like the Jews in pre-war Germany, the illegals are often identifiable by appearance, although they share that appearance with many legal immigrants.
Trump also seems to have little regard for our Constitution and would need stormtroopers of his own to accomplish many of his promises.
All in all, his popularity is scary. People called Hitler a clown, too. Do they know what they are cheering for?
Isabel McGraw
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Tunnel work should spur creativity
Wilcox Tunnel, which serves about 18,000 drivers daily, is closed for six months for repairs. This stopgap maintenance is both necessary and significant; however, it is a fraction of what is needed to make the tunnel sustainable for the long term.
Currently, Chattanooga is vying yet again for a federal grant that would match city contributions.
Wilcox Tunnel and Wilcox Boulevard mean a lot to me as they were named after my great-great grandfather and great-grandfather, respectively. I’ve attended several public meetings, including one I helped organize for Missionary Ridge Neighborhood Association.
However, even if Chattanooga gets the grant there will be neighborhoods unhappy with the level of construction and rerouted traffic. There is no silver bullet for this problem.
The tunnel highlights the need for new ways of thinking. We can’t afford to continue the same approach while expecting different results.
Changes should include additional alternative modes of transportation, and city planning which reflects that strategy.
As taxpayers, we shouldn’t let a problem go to waste. It’s time to re-imagine Chattanooga.
Pat Benson Jr.
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GOP ‘undemocratic’ on voter ID laws
An Aug. 19 letter, “Lincoln monument may be next to go,” makes a couple of good points about misguided efforts to disassociate the Democratic Party from Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson.
Like everyone else, both were flawed men, but that doesn’t negate the value of their accomplishments in the founding (Jefferson) and expansion (Jackson) of the United States. The effort to judge them by the mores of today is itself pointless.
The writer’s suggestion that a future Democratic Congress might raze the Lincoln Memorial for that president’s less-than-stellar actions regarding Indians and blacks was of course tongue-in-cheek, if somewhat inane.
However, before accusing Democrats of purported “presentism,” the writer should not ignore political actions that are (small-d) undemocratic.
It has been Republican-controlled state legislatures that have approved voter ID laws engineered to make it harder for youths, Latinos, blacks and others to vote. They have argued the laws are necessary to combat rampant in-person voter fraud. The argument is an obvious lie.
Anybody wonder if those GOP legislators still include that magnificent last phrase when they pledge allegiance to the flag?
Michael Loftin