People who had a way with words in the news last week:
“Taxpayer concerns aren’t clickbait.”
— Elspeth Haire, an organizer behind opposition to a proposed land-use swap involving McDonald Farm and Enterprise South Nature Park, in response to Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp saying he believes reporting on the swap to be “gotcha reporting, or clickbait reporting”
“Education about the Second Amendment is very important. … That’s one of the reasons why we thought this was a great idea.”
— Hamilton County GOP Chair Gail Greene on why the local Republican party gave away a Glock 19 custom “USA flag” 9 mm handgun as a prize for a drawing
“It’ll be devastating because I ain’t got no other way to get me nothing to eat.”
— Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipient Tony Lynn Owens, on the possibility that he could have his benefits delayed as a result of the shutdown of the federal government
“Working in medical, the way we do things is that if it’s not documented, it didn’t happen. I understand that they’re saying, ‘We’re not going to touch it,’ but I want to see legal documentation saying, ‘If this proceeds, we won’t touch this cemetery’… Then it’s set in stone.”
— Grace Jahnke on her worries about Old Summit Cemetery being disturbed by development if the McDonald Farm and Enterprise South land swap plan goes through
“The rainfall that produced intense flash flooding in parts of the Chattanooga area was very localized, and was pretty much the only significant rainfall during the summer season and so far into fall. This can be seen by comparing the precipitation accumulation graph from the Chattanooga airport, which shows the big jump in early August from that extreme rainfall event, but after that, there has only been about 2.5 inches of rain at the station.”
— Assistant State Climatologist Wil Tollefson said regarding the Chattanooga region’s descent into a moderate drought due to lack of rain
“My grandmother didn’t have to work. … (My grandfather) was able to raise a family of five, build a solid family home in a good part of town five minutes from where he worked. I live 45 minutes away now because I got pushed out of the city. … He was able to pay all of his bills and still be able to put money aside for retirement. His health care was completely covered by the company.”
— Caleb Michalski, a member of the United Auto Workers bargaining committee in its ongoing dispute with Volkswagen, on his desire for the same American dream enjoyed by his grandfather, who worked for a unionized shop in Wisconsin.
“I feel like our democracy is really in danger, and I’m super concerned about a lot of the things that I see from the administration. I’m well past 60 years old, and I have seen our country as a force for good in the world. And now, I see it turning to be a force for evil, and I don’t want that to happen. I believe in the good of America, and I want to see it rescued. And that’s why I’m out here today.”
— Cleveland, Tennessee, resident Greg Thomas, explaining why he attended his first-ever protest, a “No Kings” demonstration in his hometown
“Everything I see from the current administration leans toward fascism. I fought against that, and that’s why I was in the military, to keep us free. And I believe in democracy, and I believe in the Constitution.”
— U.S. Army veteran and Cleveland, Tennessee, resident Drew Julye, explaining why he attended a “No Kings” protest in Cleveland
“I don’t think it’s changing the mission. I think it’s refocusing back on our original mission.”
— Mitch Graves, a Memphis health care executive and utility board member, affirming TVA’s focus on affordable electricity and economic development during a Senate hearing for President Donald Trump’s nominees to the board of directors
“The one way I don’t help out other people is by taking a cut of what they have.”
— District Judge Eli J. Richardson, in response to former state Rep. Robin Smith’s attorney’s assertion that Smith conspired with former Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada and his one-time Chief of Staff Cade Cothren to defraud a taxpayer-funded constituent mail program in an attempt to rehabilitate the two men.
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