Alexander, corker show lack of respect
Senators Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker lost my support when they recently voted for amnesty for illegals. They - and most everyone who addresses it - repeat the mantra that "the current system is broken." Just what is broken besides enforcement?
If a stranger breaks into your house, raids your refrigerator and sleeps in your bed, will you call the police or invite him to stay? Should he have squatters' rights? So then why should those who break into our country and steal work and benefits be rewarded with citizenship? Why should those who stay home and abide by the rules be shoved out of line by the burglars?
With the unemployment rate more than 8 percent in Chattanooga, our problem is not too few workers. And it is obvious that millions willing to work for low wages can only cause wages to decline.
I love Latin Americans; I travel to Latin America frequently. That's why I know that if you break their laws you will be swiftly jailed or deported with no talk of amnesty. Such is their right - and ours.
This is why I conclude that Sens. Alexander and Corker have less respect for the U.S. and its citizens than those countries do for theirs.
Nathan Schwenk, Spring City, Tenn.
Pare story unveils Corker's character
Often the fabrications of politicians go unchallenged by the media . So I appreciate the article by Mike Pare that shines the light of reality on Bob Corker's fictionalized accounts of the role of the U.A.W. in Detroit and American Auto making . Corker's attempt at historical revision is pathetic.
To advance his management -friendly, anti-worker agenda, Corker claims that the U.A.W. drove American automakers into bankruptcy. Is this ignorance or deceit? The reality is that stupid management drove American automakers into bankruptcy. Management decided to make "clunkers" and "gas guzzlers" year after year, while Germany and Japan were making more economical, fuel efficient, durable and drivable cars.
The unions made automakers the king of the hill for decades by making superior products until CEOs were too busy counting their money to pay attention to the real world.
Corker gives us an insight into his character when he complains about union stewards asking waiters if they would work beyond their shift to serve Corker's group. He obviously believes that waiters should be ordered to serve him, even after their quitting time. The Senate is full of do-nothings with a sense of entitlement.
TERRY STULCE, Ooltewah
Columnist off-base on Hispanics' arrests
In a July 23rd article columnist David Cook discussed the arrest of four Hispanic men caught fishing on the Tennessee River without a license. Mr. Cook seemed aghast that the men were arrested and taken into custody when none of them could produce a valid fishing license or proper identification, implying that their arrest had noting to do with these two critical facts, but was because they were Hispanic. He stated that he's fished many times without a license and, since he's white, doubts if he'd have been arrested had he been caught.
Contrary to Mr. Cook's supposition, I seriously doubt race had anything to do with these arrests. Fishing without a license and/or proper identification would appear to be the operative factors here. If Mr. Cook, or any other non-minority, were caught in similar circumstances they would have been subject to exactly the same treatment.
Shame on you, Mr. Cook, not only for trying to make this into a racial incident, but for personally flaunting our fish and game laws and failing to support the preservation of wildlife resources in Tennessee.
HOWARD BROWN, Lookout Mountain