If republic doesn’t act now, then when?
With undeniable, detailed disclosures of federal bureaucracy waste, abuse and corruption, why would any elected or unelected honest agent of the federal government be so adamantly opposed to comprehensive investigation, accountability and cessation? Follow the money. Follow the massive money laundering scheme of grants and pseudo contracts that funnel trillions of public funds to political allies and ultimately to political campaigns. Follow the “deep state” mechanism of an elitist, entrenched government created by a century of a near-continual Democratic socialist congressional majority who, while masters of political manipulation and process, lack the skills and proclivity to constitutionally govern.
Having stripped Social Security and extracted billions of clandestine pseudo-taxes through unlegislated bureaucratic regulation, having leveraged general income taxes and indebted the public treasury to near insolvency, rampant administrative corruption remains.
The Democrats’ response to DOGE exposure: Their well-used “tell me it’s raining” strategy of accountability denial and diversion. Another dose of orchestrated spin control, gaslighting prevarication, procrastination, and character assassinations replete with desperate “the sky is falling” theatrical tirades.
Not again. If such rampant corruption is left unpunished and the elitist bureaucracy left intact, how stands the republic?
RG Kirn
Soddy-Daisy
Why protest against waste in government?
I look at these Trump/Musk organized protests with suspicion. First, they are not spontaneous. They are highly organized. By whom? And for what purpose? Secondly, “hands-off” exactly what? Do the protesters themselves even know what they are protesting, or are they simply buying into much of the false narrative/hyperbole surrounding many of the president’s executive orders?
DOGE is seeking to find and eliminate fraud, waste and abuse in the federal bureaucracy. If these protesters do not think that exists, they are incredibly naïve or the recipients of it.
Some of the criticism is deserved. Where was this administration’s “buy-in” attempt? Certainly, the execution could have gone better and done more correctly.
That said, this country is facing an unprecedented debt crisis. Aid and grants have to be re-evaluated and/or curtailed. Illegal immigration is overwhelming services and budgets. Cuts/changes have to be made. Streamlining government operations, fiscal restraint, and ferreting out/eliminating fraud and waste in many of the programs the needy and elderly rely on might just extend those programs’ viability vs. the potentially catastrophic consequences none of us — Democrat or Republican — is prepared to endure.
Robert Holmes
Voucher ‘scam’ fed Watson ‘budget crisis’
Among the bald-faced lies and harrumphing hypocrisies our Tennessee state legislature advances, lawmakers’ proposal to kick immigrant kids out of public school is a new low.
Mere weeks ago, that body voted a $220 million annual giveaway from Tennessee’s general fund to pay for Gov. Lee’s private school voucher scam, against the objections of most school boards in this state. The state is now giving well-heeled kids $7,000 a year, per child, for private education.
With stunning audacity, Chattanooga’s state Sen. Bo Watson the very next week declared that educating immigrant children was now too expensive (no numbers available!), and that noncitizen students are breaking the bank they raided the week before to subsidize private schools. Educating immigrants is now a “budget crisis” because they made it one.
If educated, immigrant children will get jobs and pay taxes — lots. But child labor has happened before, with monotonous regularity. We know that children will be vacuumed up by rapacious, unsafe industries, relegated to unsupervised, out-of-sight farm work, sold into housework, and all too many sent into prostitution pipelines. It’s an old, old story.
This is now presented as a budget issue instead of the complete, anti-immigrant cruelty it is.
Lisa Lemza
‘New Deal’ to ‘Great Deal of Revenge’
FDR gave us the “New Deal” to help save starving Americans. Truman gave us the “Fair Deal” to enlarge it. Trump’s giving us a “Great Deal of Revenge and Retribution.” He’s destroying the greatness of America.
Trump’s attacking our friends while praising our enemies as RINOs support him. The GOP is extinct. Trump knows absolutely nothing about international diplomacy, and what U.S. foreign aid does to foster friendships and strengthen democratic institutions around the world.
The damage he’s doing is unimaginable. It was predicted in several books. However, 77 million Americans evidently don’t read books.
Already, tens of thousands are suffering here and around the world because of Elon Musk’s chainsaw.
People who voted for him are hurting. Cutting Medicaid and closing Social Security offices are sinful. What is more dangerous is dismantling the Department of Education. Education is the key to a free people.
The dangerous security breach revealing the plan to bomb Yemen is troubling. It should be investigated, but they would rather investigate, of lesser importance, the assassination of JFK.
Wilbourne C. Markham Sr.
Signal Mountain
News report lacking on ‘peaceful assembly’
Your report on the rally recently held at Ross’s Landing was lacking. Myself and at least 1,500 others stood in solidarity to oppose a wide variety of actions by the Trump/Musk administration. An incredibly creative assortment of signs demonstrated the well-thought-out positions of a peaceful assembly.
Your report did not fully reference the talks given describing the rally’s reasons for being. The speakers addressed, in cogent language, opposition to the firings of civil service workers, the administration’s attack on education, the Trump/Musk ongoing attack on Medicare/Medicaid, and what we are hearing from Trump/Musk on Social Security. All of this, and its associated chaos, are raising fears for so many and was well-covered by the speakers.
The reality was a large peaceful assembly sending a message to the Trump/Musk administration, “Hear us, we are frightened; we don’t believe you are doing what needs to be done to protect our personal futures and our democracy.”
Irv Ginsburg
Ooltewah
Mocs Club a fine host for big win
I’d like to thank the UTC Mocs Club and the athletic department for hosting the pregame festivities prior to the Mocs’ thrilling overtime victory [in the NIT championship game]! It was a great crowd, great atmosphere and a great win for Coach Dan Earl, his staff and the gritty Mocs players who had no quit in their game! A wonderful memory that will last a lifetime!
Charlie Kelly