Mars? We don’t take care of ourselves
Some genius proposes that we must occupy Mars; this after sending a few small machines there and producing a science-fiction movie about it.
Some folks treat this as a serious idea while we can’t manage to care for our brothers and sisters fleeing crime and wars, and we can’t figure out how to stop terrorists from blowing up themselves and dozens of innocents.
We’re too busy looking for the next cool drug of happiness and buying costly pretty toys or endlessly playing video games and ceaselessly communicating trivial drivel.
And we dream of going to Mars a dead place, no air to breath, no water to drink; it’s an enormously expensive way to die.
Bill Laudeman
Red Bank
Hall Tax cut not a tax cut for all
Would you cheerfully write a check each April for $907? Tennessee prides itself on no income tax, but it doesn’t mean we aren’t paying taxes. The average family of four spends roughly $800 per month on groceries with a sales tax of roughly 9.45 percent. Because sales taxes come out a little at a time, we don’t notice. Few complain.
A progressive income tax lets families claim children as deductions; a regressive sales tax penalizes a family for having children because it must buy more groceries and pay more taxes. I’m not arguing for an income tax, but why did Tennessee Republicans just eliminate the progressive Hall Tax? It is only paid by the richest Tennesseans who get dividends and capital gains from their investments of more than $2,500 per year. If you aren’t rich enough to pay it, you didn’t get your taxes cut, despite Republicans bragging they cut taxes.
Gov. Haslam wants to raise the gas tax but is fine with Tennesseans paying the second highest grocery sales tax nationwide. Working people will continue to pay a larger share of their income in state taxes as long as we elect Republicans.
Helen F. Stapleton
Sewanee, Tenn.
Threatened males reason Clinton lost
I am doing a post-election analysis, and besides the need to fire FBI Director James Comey for rigging the election and violating the Hatch Act, I have asked myself: Why do working, blue-collar, white males hate Hillary Clinton?
Well, it’s a visceral thing. Hillary poses a threat to Bubba’s ego because she is smart, extremely capable, and promotes love and understanding, not hate.
This last rankles hard hats who feel insecure in their manhood. Hillary Clinton is a threat to their egos. Donald Trump ran his campaign strategy on this. So what does this say about half of America?
Mike Bodine
Christians should still walk the walk
Pastor Bo Wagner, in his column “Faith Focus” published Nov. 20, asserted a couple of things regarding the presidential election: “I have rarely ever seen Christians so excited about anything”; and “evangelicals are acting like Jesus just won.” If this is true, it might help explain why we continue to see such a drop in weekly church attendance and membership.
I caution my friends in faith to be very careful about who you anoint as a standard-bearer. After receiving God’s healing grace, we are expected to willingly adhere to Christian morals in both word and deed. The president-elect has repeatedly repudiated this, as shown in a plethora of ways. During this time of uncertainty for so many, it is incumbent upon we Christians to not only talk the talk, but to walk the walk.
Edwina Gower
Signal Mountain