Appreciates focus on homelessness
I appreciated seeing the editorials in Sunday's TFP about homelessness in Chattanooga. This is an issue very few residents want to deal with or pay for. People in the suburbs seem to believe those of us who live in the city have created this problem and it is up to us to deal with it -- as though homelessness only happens to city dwellers. Many of us know this is false, but in today's world the truth doesn't seem to matter. Homelessness is something we all need to deal with.
I also wanted to say thank you for noticing the way the public is often intimidated and dismissed by city/county governments. I have addressed both and have been astonished by many members' lack of concern and/or empathy for their constituents while members of the public make their cases. I find some members' biggest concern is that presenters don't exceed their given time limit and don't listen to what they have to say. While I appreciate members' willingness to serve, they need to keep in mind they serve to address the concerns of all citizens of the city/county in a way that is fair, balanced and responsive.
Thomas Purdy
Will truth of economics hold here?
I can't help but think about what's going on in Chattanooga when I read a recent front-page Wall Street Journal article, "Investors Yank Money From Property Funds."
Investors, big and small, are pulling money out of real estate funds. Both Blackstone Inc. and Starwood Capital, two of the largest non-traded real estate investment trusts, are restricting withdrawals to stem outflows. Cash-out requests are a result of rising interest rates, weak demand for office space and slowing rent growth for apartments.
Another recent Wall Street Journal article, "Replacing Dead Malls Can Be A Struggle," caused me to think about our Chattanooga malls. You have got to wonder, based on what is going on according to these reports, how economically viable all the new apartment, condo, and retail office space being planned for the Southside, riverfront, the new Lookouts stadium, and other areas all around downtown Chattanooga will be.
I guess in time we will find out, but the fundamentals of economics, supply and demand usually hold true.
Ronnie McClister
Signal Mountain
Deep State, elites control government
So, Trump called for the Constitution to be suspended? But the Constitution is already terminated. There's no longer freedom of speech. The fake media, big tech and the federal government saw to that. Twitter censored conservatives and Republicans on stories the government didn't want you to know about, like the Hunter Biden laptop.
You're not allowed to criticize leftist school boards as you will be investigated as a domestic terrorist. You have no right to private property. The government can invade your home, seize your electronics, bank accounts, homes, cars, and cash on the assumption that you have been associated with a crime. Due process is gone.
The Second Amendment means nothing. Any government agency can confiscate guns without you being charged or convicted with a crime. It's called "red flag" laws, which are contrary to the Constitution. The government can watch everything you do, whether it's through cellphones, computers or surveillance cameras. You have no privacy. The Deep State and corporate elites control the government, not the voters. Trump didn't cause this.
Gary Hayes
Ooltewah
Blackburn forgot troop readiness
I have been in the military for more than 20 years. Part of the oath every soldier takes says, "I will follow the orders of those appointed above me." The only exception is if those orders are illegal.
So if the president or secretary of defense says that everyone in the service needs to get vaccinated, that's a lawful order, just like charging a hill or or guarding a gate. What Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn conveniently forgot to mention last week was the aspect of force readiness. The army mandates a flu shot every year. That is because if a soldier catches the flu, he or she is out of action and cannot perform their duty for several weeks, leaving others to pick up the slack. With COVID, that could be months.
In the military, everyone counts on one another. Everyone is a part of a team. The medic, the radio operator or the cook -- everyone has their job. If too many parts go missing, the mission fails. The mission is what's important, not the individual. When we deploy, soldiers are confined in small spaces, aircraft, tents and fighting positions. If an unvaccinated soldier has COVID, this will spread through the ranks.
Maybe Sen. Blackburn was never in a situation where her team had to go out short-handed and the guy or girl that you were counting on to have your back when you're kicking down a door in some Third World country wasn't there because they decided not to honor their oath and skip the vaccine.
William Hubers
East Ridge
Republicans better in Hawkeye State
I left two children and five grandchildren in Crossville and moved to Clinton, Iowa, so I could escape people like [Hamilton County Board of Education representative] Rhonda Thurman who think Hispanic immigrants are a "burden."
I am now surrounded by immigrants of all sorts, and I can assure you I would rather have them for neighbors than even be in the same state with a book-banning culture warrior like Thurman. Clearly, while turning away from children who need an education, she has embraced the ignorance of the Trump cult like so many other Tennesseans. There is no cure for the disease. All you can do is get as far away from it as you can.
I'm in Iowa, surrounded by sane, hard-working Republicans. Thank goodness there are a few left in the United States. I have made my decision. I would rather die alone in Iowa than live surrounded by flag-waving, gun-toting Trump trucks and women-hating fascist lunatics in Tennessee.
Dr. Randall Norris
Clinton, Iowa
It's Biden's spending GOP needs to halt
An unfortunate, misleading headline, "GOP must halt spending," on a Dec. 12, 2022, commentary makes it appear at first glance that it is the GOP, not the Biden administration, which is responsible for all the recent extravagant and ruinous spending (a few trillions here, a few trillions there) to the point where it appears impossible to get out of debt without overburdening taxpayers.
So, yes, the GOP needs to elect people who will bring back fiscal responsibility to this country. A better title: "GOP must halt Biden spending."
Doris Rausch
Tullahoma, Tenn.