Since attending a rally last Sunday, I have been called in the paper: stupid, ignorant, irresponsible and a deplorable. Thank you. That simply means you cannot refute the facts and resolve your disagreement with my beliefs by resorting to name calling.
Truths of the matter are these: 1) More than 98% of the population that contracts COVID-19 virus survive; 2) studies completed by Stanford, USC and N.Y. state all have shown that the virus is much more prevalent than previously thought; 3) the "quarantine" of nonessential employees (by the way, whose job is nonessential?) was to not overload the hospitals with virus patients. That has been accomplished and hospitals are now underused; 4) the social cost of unemployment (now at 26 million nationwide) includes a direct correlation to an increase in suicide and drug use due to the financial hardship of being unemployed; 5) social distancing at this time will prolong fear/isolation and recurrence of the virus' impact upon our country until about 70% of the population show antibodies to the virus.
Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness include work, travel and worship among other activities. Make America healthy again!
Tom McNeill, Signal Mountain
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Specific data needed to justify city decisions
Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke's decision to keep Chattanooga businesses closed is actually putting citizens more at risk. It will cause people to travel to other locations for services that will be open there rather than remain in the same general area where our numbers are far better.
He should state exactly what "data" he is using and what criteria must be met for reopening so he does not appear to be grandstanding nearly as much.
Michael Gould
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Fast reopening a danger to all
I am afraid of coronavirus; I am afraid of Donald Trump. Concerning the latter, he is exhibiting dereliction of duty.
Trump has tweeted and encouraged a small band of his followers to demonstrate for the lifting of stay-at-home regulations so that they can have so-called "freedom to go back to work."
Don't these demonstrators endanger themselves and others, not to mention their families? The governor of Georgia wants to reopen bowling lanes! When will Republicans tell Trump to stop killing seniors?
Mike Bodine, East Ridge
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My money is on the Constitution
According to Trump, "when somebody's the president of the United States, the authority is total. And that is the way it's going to be."
There is another quote on page 416 of the New York Times bestseller "A Very Stable Genius" by Philip Rucker and Carol Leonnig (who have three Pulitzers between them) that immediately comes to mind: "... the Constitution is not a mechanism that runs by itself. Ultimately, we are a government of men and not law. The law has no force without people who are willing to enforce it." I believe this book should be required reading for anyone who is considering voting for Trump.
Please remember both quotes when you vote in November.
Nancy Bishop, Birchwood, Tennessee