I'm all for the new idea for Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority and Chattanooga State to provide free bus rides for students and staff.
First, our area technical schools and junior colleges - places that can provide a quality education or skill for affordable and even free tuition - are an underused resource, making access easier for all who may need it even more important.
And hey, have you been on a CARTA bus recently? It's not like they are going to have to boot anyone off to make room.
A holiday coat
Last year was the Halloween of COVID-19. Insert scary music.
This year, maybe we can have a Halloween safely. Or maybe not. Who knows?
Well, if you see a collection of overcoat-wearing folks trolling for candy, rest easy because it's not the latest version of Jessica Rabbit.
No, one of the hottest Halloween costumes right now is the Bernie Sanders Overcoat from the image of him freezing his Aged Vermont Cheddar at last year's inauguration.
Makes sense actually, in the sense that Halloween is a perfect tribute to Bernie and his socialist comrades: Dress however you want, do next to nothing and expect all your neighbors to give you free stuff.
Horse sense
So, in addition to doing absolutely nothing to stop the border crisis, President Joe Biden is now actually making it harder for Border Patrol agents in Texas to do their jobs.
Because of the hubbub about some photos of agents on horseback - some allege the agents were using whips on migrants trying to cross the border, others say the long strips of leather were the reins for the horses - the Biden administration has banned the use of horses by those patrolling our Southern border. Do-little Vice President Kamala Harris said she was "deeply troubled" by the images.
Yeah, the rest of the country is deeply troubled by the disaster that our borders have become.
Obit observation
It's been a while since I've lost someone I knew well. That's a blessing.
But this week's observation read like someone we all have in our families or lives. Jamie Raines of Soddy-Daisy died this week. He was 48.
He sounds like the guy so many of us see at the barbershop or the Ace Hardware, or in Jamie's case, the place where we take our cars.
A two-decade career at Marshal Mize Ford made him an "expert on everything Ford related." But his personality was larger than any job he held.
From the obit: "He was the person that everyone felt comfortable confiding in, and had a sense of humor that will never be matched. He was a patient, devoted, loving father and husband to his 'beautiful ladies.' Jaime loved his family, music, movie quotes, mowing lawns and collecting vintage toys and lunchboxes. He loved his role as the crazy uncle and played it well. He never met a stranger. He loved helping people because he loved to see people succeed. Jaime was so much more to so many people than could ever be listed here."
Sounds a lot like someone I knew growing up, and if I had to bet, someone you knew too. Prayers to the family; and if you will excuse me I need to call and check in on an old friend.
Contact Jay Greeson at jgreeson@timesfreepress.com.
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Jay Greeson