Citizens have most influence locally
David Brooks’ observations in (“Are we on road to national ruin? Trust in local leaders,” Opinion, July 15), amplify my thinking which dates back to animated discussions in high school American History class over 50 years ago. We students shared our concerns about the most effective way to address myriad problems facing the nation. It didn’t seem obvious at the time, but lasting solutions originate at the local level and rise gradually. False promises of political demagogues and miscreants are more easily identified and rejected close to home. We should encourage people of good will to pay attention to local issues and support leaders whose values are principled, pragmatic and non-doctrinaire.
PETE KRAUS, LILBURN
Bookman could be talking about Clinton
Talk about a parallel universe. Jay Bookman continues his ongoing analysis — and put-down — of Donald Trump in (“Trump plumbs the depths of his supporters’ gullibility,” Opinion, July 20). The hilarity (pun intended) of this column isn’t that it’s off-base about Trump but, rather, that the exact same column — simply with different examples — could be written about Hillary Clinton. The primary difference being that a chronicling of Hillary Clinton’s lies would fill volumes and would encompass lies affecting life-and-death situations and national security.
Bookman's closing paragraph about Trump and his supporters could be used word for word about Clinton, but for a change in pronoun gender. Such paragraph would then read: "Basically, she is testing the depths of her supporters' desperation: How many truly unbelievable things are they willing to pretend to believe? How much self-respect are they willing to sacrifice on her behalf? A lot, it appears."
GREGORY MARSHALL, MARIETTA
About the Author
