Say Merry Christmas today and smile
Bah Humbug! It seems that letter-writers are either “discussing” Muslims or “cussing” Trump. Please allow me to introduce you to the season. This is a time of love and celebration. It’s Christmas with care in your heart. Don’t be the turkey at the table. Get with it! That’s right. Merry Christmas and smile!
CATHERINE BOONE SHEALY, ATLANTA
Anti-Trump voters definitely ‘get it’
It’s a common theme in letters-to-the editor from Trump supporters to mock those who voted against him. They sneer at the actions of a handful of distraught Hillary Clinton supporters and assure each other over and over that those who oppose Trump “don’t get it.” They cry out that we should just give Trump a chance. Let me assure the letter writers that those of us outside the conservative bubble get it. We understand that it took massive gerrymandering, fake scandals that cost us millions in needless investigations, fake news, the electoral college, interference by a foreign power and unconscionable attempts to suppress votes to get their spectacularly unqualified candidate into office.
We also remember the last time a Republican president held power and how Americans always suffer under their “trickle-down” theory. We get that corporations will be favored over individuals and that laws in place to protect all Americans, especially the blue-collar voters who helped sweep Mr. Trump into office, will be removed, endangering lives and communities. We’ve seen the hateful laws they pass to harm immigrants, the LGBTQ community and women. So we “get it.” What we don’t get is how, out of 318 million Americans, Donald Trump is the best the Republicans can do. Trump voters can also be assured that Americans will give president-elect Trump exactly the same chance that the Republicans gave Barack Obama.
BRUCE WHITE, TUCKER
Electoral College is obsolete
A recent letter ("We have Electoral College for Reason," Readers Write, Dec 14), justifies retaining the Electoral College as a way to curb progressive voters in "California and New York" from deciding "who the next president will be." Sure enough, two of the presidential candidates this century have won the popular vote, yet lost the presidency. Whether you liked Hillary Clinton's candidacy or not, fair-minded people agree that anything less than one-person, one-vote, is unfair. The U.S. has matured spectacularly since the late 18th-century. But the Electoral College is obsolete. Its abuses do not support government of the people, by the people, for the people.
JAMES O. BELCHER, AVONDALE ESTATES
Trump the man to make gov’t. more efficient
In business, if you have a problem the prudent response is to resolve it — now. If the problem is great enough and left unaddressed, you may no longer have a business.
Not so in government. When government is faced with a problem, the first response is to talk about it, then talk some more. When the talking is done, the next step is to throw money at it. If that fails, then politicians on both sides of the aisle will ordinarily blame each other for the failure. In the end, the issue may not be resolved at all, and a lot of money and chin music will have been expended. You are now poorer, back where you started and, perhaps, totally disillusioned. As Jimmy Carter said, “The word ‘efficiency’ is nowhere to be found in the Constitution.”
Trump’s decision-making ability and dedication to sound business practices had made him a very wealthy man, but therein may lie a problem. He is used to getting things done quickly, efficiently, and in a cost-effective manner. Government doesn’t do that, and any effort to make it work better for the people is likely to be met with opposition from special interests and politicians who place their own personal interests first.
It will be very interesting to see if sound business practices can be applied to government and who will object if it works.
RON SLADE SR., COVINGTON
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