Still hoping for ideal politician
I was thinking about qualities that would make up my ideal politician the other day. He/she would have a strong sense of decency and compassion with a sense of duty to serve the best interests of his/her fellow human beings. He/she would resist hate and prejudice and would use and teach conflict resolution.
They would be a thinker and a great listener who could learn from what other people have to say. In looking to be a problem solver, he/she would do research into the best solution and make an educated decision based on facts.
Am I naive to think that such a politician exists? Maybe. But, I sincerely hope not because for me a life without hope is just a dismal existence.
Mary C. Caliandro
Ooltewah
Camp K is proven positive investment
I was so inspired to read Robin Cayce's Oct. 17 column, "Camp K Success Provides 'Ready Momentum'."
As a student at UTC, it's very encouraging to me to see so many passionate people in Chattanooga focused on giving kids a strong start in life.
Camp K allowed kids who were unable to attend early childhood education to have a chance at quality education before starting school. Research shows that kids without access to early childhood education are starting out nearly 18 months behind other students. Teachers can be much more effective in the classroom if more kids are arriving in kindergarten ready to learn.
I'm grateful for Robin Cayce's leadership and all of the commitment from the community to make this a reality. I hope our lawmakers will see the positive impact and invest in programs like this to give all kids an equal opportunity to succeed.
Caroline Rabiner
'Feral' appropriate adjective for scene
A recent letter writer certainly uses a different dictionary than I do. Mine shows the synonyms for the word feral as: wild, untamed, undomesticated, fierce, ferocious, vicious, savage, predatory, menacing, bloodthirsty, etc.
I did not read the article he referred to [by Arkansas Democrat-Gazette columnist Bradley Gitz on the violence of young men in Chicago], but if his summary of it is correct, the use of the adjective feral seems appropriate, and in no way racist as it can fairly be applied to unruly, fatherless young men of any race.
Ron Mote
Collegedale
Dear fellow voters:
In preparation for casting your ballot, please consider the following quote from the new book, "Facts and Fears," by James R. Clapper, the former U.S. Director of National Intelligence. This is what he says about our current political situation:
"We have elected someone as president of the United States whose first instincts are to twist and distort truth to his advantage, to generate financial benefit to himself and his family, and, in so doing, to demean the values this country has traditionally stood for. He has set a new low bar for ethics and morality. He has caused damage to our societal and political fabric that will be difficult and will require time to repair."
Now you must decide whether the above person, who is fully endorsed and accepted as the leader of the Republican Party, should be allowed to continue to implement his policies and plans. Is this the party, is this the leadership, is this the type of policymaker you want?
Crystal Eckert Kadivar
'Heart of wise inclines to right'
I have never seen as much hate and jealousy in the United States in my lifetime because a smart man with money was elected president of the United States and got the country back on the right track for the first time since President Ronald Reagan.
The previous administration did three things in eight years. It broke the country, stole the senior citizens' Social Security pay raises and made Jimmy Carter and Richard Nixon look like saints. Now it may have funded a caravan to try to upset the mid-term elections.
Some perpetrators need to be sent back to where they came from, some sent to prison, others involved - including news media, demonstrators, late night so-called comedians, the left nuts, Republicans and Democrats, liars and conspirators such as CNN and MSNBC, newspaper writers - should each be given a fly swatter and sent to fight ISIS.
This bothered me until I opened my Bible to Ecclesiastes 10:1-3, where the Scripture says, "The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left." Enough said.
J. C. Wilkes
Soddy-Daisy
Carbon dividend / fee system needed
Dread. That was my reaction to your Oct. 18 article about the anticipated increase in tornado activity in the Southeast, including in Tennessee. The article mentions that this trend is consistent with what would be expected as a result of climate change.
We are already experiencing effects of climate change, and as this article illustrates, we can expect a continued increase in the frequency and intensity of storms. It is a scientific consensus the climate is changing due to CO2 emissions. We can do something about that.
A carbon fee and dividend approach places a fee on carbon fuels at their source, which in turn incentivizes the use of carbon-free energy sources. Unlike a big government tax, this approach returns the money directly back to U.S. households as a dividend.
This concept has broad-based and bipartisan support. I urge Congressman Fleischmann to join the movement to reduce the compounding impact of climate change by supporting a carbon fee and dividend solution.
While we cannot stand up to a tornado heading in our direction, we can indeed stand up to the root of the climate problem. For the sake of all we love, we must.
Gail Boyd
Hixson
Kelly cast aside for childhood memory
We in this country have reached an all-time low. No, not we, but the whiny minority that must not have jobs or anything else to keep them busy, and have nothing to do but find something to be offended about, have found a new target: Megyn Kelly. I am not necessarily a Kelly fan, but she simply related a childhood memory of how it was when she was a child, which was neither mean-spirited or racist. If the "chip on their shoulder" people that orchestrated this ridiculous event would stop and think for half a second, isn't imitation the greatest form of flattery?
Sam Lewallen Jr.
Sale Creek
Hewitt makes subtle abortion reference
I found much to agree with in Hugh Hewitt's Oct. 26, column but take issue with two things: He states that the court "should not try to redirect or dam the mighty river 'Culture,' and it should cease trying to vacuum away the delicate compromises local, state and national legislators make between the deeply felt religious beliefs of a vast and diverse people." Hewitt's wording here is clever; the phrase "vacuum away the delicate compromises" clearly expresses the view that local and state governments should be able to put in place any restrictions they like on a woman's court-confirmed right to an abortion, granting death by a thousand cuts to a fundamental right enjoyed by half the population.
Also, he writes that the court "should read closely the laws that Congress passes, hold them up to the Constitution's guarantees and refuse the efforts of elected officials to punt power to bureaucracies." If he were to add "or corporations," then I could find one more thing on which to agree with him.
Lisa Erlendson Scott
Dayton, Tenn.