Monday, July 21, 2014
Walter Williams is right. We have always had slaves, and we still do. Increasing productivity increases manpower available to fight wars, build the sphinx, pyramids, the Great Wall of China, the Taj Mahal, cathedrals, modern day coliseums or waste it on senseless necessities. I won't try to identify present day slaves. Fewer manhours are required to produce enough for those possessing money. This leads to outrageous disparity of wealth and income, unemployment, slave wages, business cycles and global disorder. Adam Smith's free enterprise would solve these problems if the government, currently preoccupied with maintaining order and security with laws and regulations, would encourage competition for entry-level workers -- enough competition to transform our habitually regressive job market into an employees' market with the base that free enterprise needs. Imagine what would happen if the federal government decided to stop patronizing institutions, their suppliers and subcontractors that paid any workers less than a living wage for 32-hour work weeks. I prefer a less disruptive approach that would create the employees' market and not restrict government contracts or purchases.
JAMES O.B. WRIGHT, Sequatchie, Tenn.
I am writing in support of Vince Dean. I have known Vince since we were little kids, and I went to church with him. From a very early age, Vince has always been a man of integrity and treats others with compassion and respect. Vince is the type of person we need in office because he is someone we can trust. Please join me in getting Vince Dean elected Criminal Court clerk.
DWAYNE HALE
I am an American citizen. I love my country. Born in Chattanooga, I graduated from East Ridge High School and Auburn University. I have a job and I pay taxes. I am a member of a church. I have a wife, children and grandchildren. I don't smoke, drink or use drugs. I own a gun, drive a Chevrolet and was an Eagle Scout. None of this matters to my congressman, who believes I am afflicted with "something worse" than "cooties." He believes that I should not raise my hand or voice because of what I think is harmful to my country. He believes these things because I am a Democrat. I have a great number of friends who identify themselves as conservative Republicans. We do not agree on everything politically, but I respect their opinions and they respect mine. It appears that Congressman Fleischmann is not aware that political dissent was not only accepted by our founding fathers but was respected. If differing opinions can be voiced, accepted, and respected, then a compromise which benefits all can usually be achieved. Intolerance of the kind displayed by Congressman Fleischmann is why nothing gets accomplished in Washington.
AL EZZELL
After reading Bozell's and Graham's commentary about Eric Holder (July 17), I had to wonder if they both whine as prolifically when they talk as they do when they write.
BILL HAYES