As political maneuverings over illegal immigrants march on, a key point is being overlooked: What about people already in the U.S. – actual citizens – who aren’t receiving the assistance they deserve? Countless thousands of homeless individuals and families in our cities need not only food and shelter, but also help for extricating themselves from their dire straits.
Thousands of military veterans who have served bravely and nobly in war zones, many of whom are maimed not only physically but also psychologically and emotionally, aren’t receiving the care and treatment they desperately require for healing and re-engaging in productive civilian lives.
And Native Americans still residing on reservations suffer from the highest suicide and alcoholism rates of any social or ethnic group in the country. Where’s the outcry for them?
The Bible, once considered a foundational source of truth and values for our nation, says if anyone does not provide for their own, especially their own household, they’re worse than infidels.
Those fleeing dangerous homelands and legitimately desiring better lives in the U.S. deserve our sympathy and concern. But shouldn’t we first be ensuring we address the overwhelming needs of fellow citizens already here?
Robert J. Tamasy, Hixson
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Don’t obliterate St. Elmo’s charm
What next? With deep regret, I heard yesterday about more terrible decision-making and rezoning plans for our unique city, specifically the historic district of St. Elmo. In the works are a hotel and high-rise parking lot. This gentrification started a few years back with high-density housing and other ostentatious clear-cutting for development projects that now scar the view of Lookout Mountain, but enough is enough.
In case the planning commission, the mayor, and whoever else has their hands on branding, marketing, and selling the heart-and-soul of Chattanooga has forgotten, St. Elmo is not a “destination,” nor is it a commercial district, but a mixed-race neighborhood appropriate for small businesses. It also has a complicated and major traffic artery running through its center, a two-lane road where a large volume of residents from North Georgia commute back-and-forth daily.
Not only has it been sickening to watch apartment complexes littering North Chattanooga pushing out single-family homes, as well as the proposed rezoning of Mountain Creek Road for commercial development, but now the lucky new residents beneath the Incline Railway will have strangers walking their streets at any hour of the day or night, guests of an inappropriately placed hotel.
Megan Spooner, Chickamauga
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Trump’s actions ‘close to treason’
Last year, Donald Trump visited Blue Ash, Ohio, and complained about the Democrats not applauding sufficiently at his recent State of the Union address. To quote, “You’re up there and you’ve got half the room. [Republicans] going totally crazy, wild … And you have the other side … they were like death and un-American. Somebody said ‘treasonous’ … Can we call that treason? … [T]hey certainly didn’t seem to love their country very much.”
Trump in reality does not love the United States very much. Fortunately for him, we are not in a declared war with Russia, and thus he cannot be directly charged with treason, which is defined as consisting “only in levying war against [the United States], or “in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort.” At a minimum, President Trump is guilty of a gross betrayal of his country.
He has failed to protect the United States by refusing to shield our country from Russian cyberattacks. By siding with Putin over his own intelligence services who unanimously agree that Russia interfered in the 2016 election, the president has adhered to our enemies, both aiding and comforting them.
He’s mighty close to treason.
Michael V. Woodward, Hixson
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Reader upset at biased coverage
I recently allowed my subscription to the CTFP to expire. This coming after three to four decades of starting my day with this newspaper.
The front section has gradually become so biased against our president that it is no longer newsworthy. The numerous positive and successful accomplishments of this administration are simply omitted, which leaves only constant criticism.
To be clear, almost half of the electorate voted for Trump knowing that the devastation of the previous eight years could not continue. Of the 63 million of us who voted for Trump I must think most are pleasantly surprised with his remarkable success in a short period of time, especially after factoring in the constant obstruction of the left.
Is he often boorish and arrogant with thin skin? For sure. Is he spot on in what America needs, and in fact what he is producing? No doubt. The left will never accept Trump but he wins, and consequently America wins. Grudgingly I re-subscribed to your paper so as to not deprive myself of the other sections which are presented in an unbiased manner. Section A goes directly into the recycle bin.
Jerry Finkle
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Cyberthreat was underplayed
It is disturbing that the public in the Chattanooga area learned of a serious cybersecurity threat on page A17 of the Sunday newspaper (there were only 18 pages) on May 26, 2019. The stolen NSA software is a danger to all of us, and we were left in the dark.
This software, EternalBlue, is a cyberthreat to anyone on the internet. My humble advice would be to save files and conduct business on a computer offline and transfer the work to an online computer that requires electronic transfer. This is the only way to safeguard archived and sensitive files. And I ask our local editors to be more sensitive to what is important to the people and businesses.
Page A17 does not indicate news that’s important.
Don T.D. Gala, Ph.D., Hixson
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Funds needed to help schools
I am a resident of Hamilton County and attended public schools here. My first child is about to enter our public school system as a kindergartner.
Like many Chattanoogans, I have followed our school system’s struggles for years. Fortunately, good things are finally happening. Under Dr. Johnson’s tenure, a five-year strategic plan is in place with clear goals and benchmarks. So far, the plan is working – there have been measurable improvements in student achievement over the last couple of years.
In order to move forward with the remainder of the five-year plan, the school board has requested additional funds from the county. To get our schools where we want them to be, we, as taxpayers, must make this investment now. Our children deserve better today.
We finally have competent leadership, a plan that is working, and an engaged community. Let’s keep this momentum going.
Jennifer W. Terry, Signal Mountain
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Plastics, debris worst polluters
Most days above the Chickamauga Dam there is more than an acre of plastics and debris building up to be sent south to the Gulf of Mexico. Local creek cleanups are little more than faux Band-Aids in the face of such blatant trashing of our aquatic environment. You and I would not throw our trash onto our neighbor’s property, but our representative government and bureaucracy (TVA) is doing just that, and worse.
Also know, “our plastics industry is on track to release as much greenhouse gas pollution as 189 new coal-fired power plants running year-round.” Another new study demonstrates aging plastic adds to the loop of ever-increasing methane gas (worst greenhouse gas). If you worry about a few thousand refugees at our border today, we face hundreds of millions on the move fleeing climate change.
I know Tennesseans don’t want this label of dirty polluters and what follows.
Michael Bartley