No kidding, Krugman conclusions laughable
Last Tuesday’s commentary titled “No Kidding, Our Economy’s in Great Shape” by New York Times columnist Paul Krugman is beyond laughable.
Just look at our national debt, the price of gas and food, the threat of losing Medicare and Social Security, and try saying that with a straight face.
Pat Crutchfield
County must comply with due process laws
Time is running out for Hamilton County courtrooms to comply with state laws about due process during pretrial. Local courts are violating the constitutional rights of dozens of people per day. Data shows that Hamilton County can take up to 14 days before an attorney is appointed to represent a defendant. In that time, defendants are missing work and family, and the bills are piling up at home. Innocent until proven guilty, right?
In September 2023, the Civil Rights Corps won a class-action lawsuit against Hamblen County in East Tennessee that resulted in very clear definitions of pretrial legal rights in Tennessee: the right to legal representation, right to request a bail hearing and the right to an evidentiary hearing where the burden of proof is on the state.
A startling 80% of the population at the Hamilton County Jail consists of pretrial defendants, many charged with misdemeanors. A person cannot be detained over 48 hours without due process.
Hamilton County’s commissioners, judges and local attorneys must work together to ensure we are all “innocent until proven guilty.”
Allie Stafford
Democrats on par with Nazi Germany
In the 1930s, Germany brought Hitler and his Nazi henchmen (Himmler, Goring, Goebbels, Bormann and others) into power to rule over the country. To accomplish this, all opposition to the Nazi party was murdered or imprisoned. Then the Nazis took over all broadcast media and implemented their propaganda under their propaganda minister, Goebbels. They allowed no opposing information or viewpoints.
One could argue the Democrats and deep state are doing the same today with all the lawfare against Donald Trump.
So, the next time you hear or read about Democrats saying how Trump supporters are Nazis, they’re really talking about themselves, because Democrats are doing what the Nazis did in the 1930s.
G. Hayes
How could Trump have come this far?
Our laws here in America are written such that they apply equally to one and all, regardless of your collection of greenbacks or who’s in your court or your own personal beliefs or disbeliefs.
Certainly that’s how the system was designed and how things are supposed to work.
However, I think most of us who are not overly naive know perfectly well that it really doesn’t work that way all the time.
The many levels in our system of justice do function differently depending on numerous factors, such as race or family lineage, or personal or family wealth or connections with the powerful.
Now take DJT. He grew up in a wealthy family which fought our government over company practices of not renting apartments to people of color and who had mobster-like lawyers to fight their battles for them. Trump consistently states how to this very day he “wants his disbarred Roy Cohn.” Trump is a former president fighting the system to keep himself out of prison for a small portion of his crimes so he can return to the Oval Office, where he can commit even more and even worse crimes against the American system.
Someone, anyone, please attempt to explain to me how this has become possible in 2024 and in our beloved United States and has all taken place because of one extremely hate-fueled individual.
Calvin V. Henderson
Don’t let government cut SNAP program
To alleviate hunger, SNAP is used by almost 44 million Americans. A proposal by certain congressmen would slash the program by an astounding $30 billion over the next 10 years.
I spent the whole weekend working with the American Red Cross in Madisonville, which is a small town a few miles outside of Chattanooga. Our main objective was to install smoke alarms for the locals, and most of the applicants for the free smoke alarm installation came from rural areas. Over 40 million Americans rely on SNAP to help put food on the table, and five of the households who received the smoke alarms were heavily dependent on SNAP.
SNAP was created to help low-income Americans move up the economic ladder and improve their nutrition. It has evolved into a safety net for low-income American families and the homeless in Tennessee.
Food insecurity in Tennessee cannot be solved by volunteer work like mine at the Foxwood Food Bank in Chattanooga. To provide access to a greater variety of healthful food options, SNAP offers larger resources. I want to highlight the concerns of my community, which are frequently ignored, as well as my own experiences as a Results fellow and advocate. I’ve seen the link between local and national food insecurity via my volunteer work with the American Red Cross, Foxwood Food Bank and Results.
Antonet Domingo
Alito, Thomas should recuse themselves
It is absolutely vital that judges remain impartial and fair for our judicial system to work. That is why there is a code of ethics to which judges subscribe, so that there is not even an appearance of bias. This is no less true for Supreme Court justices.
We have two Supreme Court justices, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, who have violated the code of ethics adopted for the Supreme Court. Thomas’ wife was active in the “Stop the Steal” movement. Alito now has twice been found to be flying the flags adopted by insurrectionists on Jan. 6. Both of these men have also been publicly revealed to be taking gifts and trips from wealthy people who had business in front of the Supreme Court in the past.
This is breathtaking corruption and bias at the highest level. Any votes they take are suspect. They must recuse from the Trump immunity decision and any other cases regarding Jan. 6 for the good of our country.
Cathy Mabe Pyron
Signal Mountain
What will party platforms tell us?
This summer, when major political parties hold their conventions, we will see what emphasis they place on future programs. In essence, it’s a wish list of what they hope to accomplish and an appeal to voters to examine those issues and support or deny them.
Last presidential election, one party did not adopt a platform at all. I re-examined the other major party’s platform to see what they were able to accomplish in this administration. Some accomplishments sprang up without fanfare. Others, in the 90+ page document adopted by that party, delineated the positions on protection from COVID, the economy, health care, crime, immigration, education for all and developing leadership. Some fell to opposition, some components worked out.
The other party stated the party would not adopt a new platform because “it did not want a small contingent of delegates formulating a new platform without the breadth of perspectives within the ever-growing Republican movement.” What’s next?
Source (BallotPedia) takes information from the FEC (Federal Election Commission), primary sources, no blogs, posts, crowdsources, and takes information from across the political spectrum. You can also obtain platform information from the political parties as well.
Platforms require public education, legislative action, working across party lines for the benefit of all the people of the United States. Let’s see what they come up with this time.
Helen Barrett
Kids enjoying park should be the point
It seems to me that the Greenbriar Cove ranter who complained about the traffic congestion at Little Debbie Parkway in Collegedale must be a glass-half-empty kinda guy.
Has he not noticed how many people are enjoying that park?
I often drive by it and find any traffic congestion negligible. The Ooltewah area has a lot bigger traffic problems than that one.
Nancy Bishop
There are times we must ask why
› Why do drivers park on sidewalks when there is plenty of parking just steps away?
1) They perceive themselves as being special.
2) They think their car/truck is the coolest thing ever and everyone should have a prominent view of it.
3) They just don’t think about anyone else.
If you guessed all three, you are correct!
› Why do some business owners fight pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure?
1) They think that the more cars that pass by their establishment is better for business.
2) They aren’t aware of all of the documented studies that prove retailers increase business by 10%+ when traffic is calmed and pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure is installed.
3) They falsely believe that parking spaces in front of their businesses are “their” customers.
If you answered all of the above, you are correct again!
› Why do certain traffic engineers think that they need to install a continuous center turn lane between intersections?
1) This is the latest/greatest road innovation that they will commit to.
2) They never considered that drivers would use these as high-speed passing lanes.
3) They never consider pedestrians, bicyclists or anything but cars in their people-blind approach.
If you answered all three, you win again; however, everyone outside of a car loses.
John Mathna
Blue Cross, Memorial: Please work this out
Thousands will lose medical caregivers and hospital of choice because BlueCross and Memorial cannot negotiate a compromise.
Facts:
› 3.4 million are insured by BlueCross.
› Employees of Memorial are covered by BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois, which seems to be able to negotiate successfully.
› BlueCross is required by the Tennessee Department of Commerce to have $2.6 billion in reserves; the insurer has $4.1 billion in reserves.
› As stated in BlueCross’s latest annual report, it is slated to invest $100 million in Blue Cross Healthy Places (playgrounds) across the state.
› $577 million was donated from BlueCross to local organizations (from the annual report)
All laudable philanthropic endeavors. A greater service to your insureds is quality and accessible health care. BlueCross and Memorial, do whatever is needed to avoid this potential catastrophe for so many of your patients and insureds.
Konnie Smithers
Flintstone, Georgia