Trump’s demagoguery aside, Republican values still resonate
Republicans have always believed in lower taxes and fewer government regulations. Then, along comes Donald Trump, who could only become elected through wedge issues and demagoguery. But traditional Republican values still resonate stronger. Are we not better off expecting that Americans be responsible for themselves and do for themselves to the greatest degree possible? The hatred and vitriol of today’s political discourse will get us nowhere. It only serves the interest of a very few. I envision a world where we happily acknowledge that even the most far-left political leaders would be welcomed to their place at the table. Cheerful greetings would be exchanged, and everyone would get an opportunity to make their case. Then, all duly elected representatives would vote, and the people’s will would carry the day.
BOB LOWTHER, DALLAS
Shutting down discussions of racism doesn’t solve the problem
Why do so many white people always want to bring up Black-on-Black crime, as in a letter printed in your newspaper on Nov. 23? Are they trying to justify the racist attitudes and behavior of whites by saying, “Look how violent they are! They’re a menace”? Or are they just trying to shut down any discussion of the racism, both individual and systemic, that Black Americans still encounter daily?
Conservatives (usually, but not always, white) frequently accuse liberals, Democrats, Black activists and others of deliberately perpetuating racism by constantly talking about it and inserting it into every political debate. Maybe if they put even half as much work into dismantling the anti-Black racism they help to keep alive as they do into avoiding or deflecting any discussion about it, the problem would have been solved long ago. Meanwhile, Black people keep getting killed by white cops and others, and Black people continue crying out for justice.
MATT G. LEGER, ATLANTA
