This is Viewpoints for Thursday, April 7, 2016
Another for the dust bin
Age, despite some upsides, has downsides. As songwriter Leonard Cohen says "I ache in places I used to play." One of the intellectual downsides is seeing ideas that were dismissed in one's youth revived in new causes, as disreputable as those of past.
The new buzz term is "Religious Freedom." In my high school and undergraduate days, the umbrella terms were different but the supportive assertions were the same — often virtually word for word. In my youth the cause was the Civil Rights Movement. Many of us believed that we were making the world a better place, but not everyone agreed. We faced assertions that God intended separation of the races — the sons and daughters of Ham in exile.
We were also assailed with arguments about the "right of association." This was an assertion that even if de jure segregation was unconstitutional, individuals had a right to exclude people of color from not just personal contact, but also from business and public service acts if they chose to do so. Not only did constitutional scholars and the courts reject these ideas, but by the time I was middle-aged both ideas had been rejected as facades for bigotry.
Regrettably, both have been resurrected as supposedly new and valid protections against a new minority target. They are neither and belong permanently in the dust bin of history.
— Fred R. van Hartesveldt
Fort Valley
Eliminating Georgia income tax
This is in reference to a recent article entitled Florida governor: Yale University should move to Florida. In addition to favorable business taxes and fees, the state of Florida has the added attraction of no state income tax. Late in the 2016 Georgia legislative session, House Bill 1141 was introduced. In the next session the Georgia Legislature will consider this bill to eliminate the Georgia Income Tax. I urge the people of Georgia to look at the bill at www.gafairtax.org. And while you're at it, become familiar with the federal FairTax bill at www.fairtax.org. We need relief from the IRS.
— Faye Lacey
Warner Robins
Best and brightest?
This is election time, when the best and brightest individuals this country has to offer compete to determine who will lead this great nation. OK, where are they? Are they hiding somewhere? I'm waiting....
— William D. Carter
Bonaire
The era of disruption
Brick and mortar versus online stores, taxicabs versus Uber, hotels versus Airbnb, streaming versus cable. Disruption seems to be everywhere. The old methods are being assaulted as new, more efficient models seek to replace them. Someone younger and slimmer always comes along with new ideas to capture people's favor. The old methods always defend themselves by putting up roadblocks to progress. They beg their media friends to write negative articles about the new idea. They invent social catastrophes caused by the new design. They convince the dimwitted to protest. In short, they defend their turf with anything at their disposal, even lies. They always lose the battle and only succeed at slowing their demise.
And that brings us to Donald Trump, the biggest disrupter conventional politics has seen in decades. He doesn't have a posse of handlers, spin doctors, pollsters, lobbyists or advisers. He self- funds his campaign and doesn't sell out his integrity to the donor class. He cleverly uses the media to get his message out for free. His ideas are new, efficient, different and hated by those who feel threatened by them.
Watching the actions of the tired, old politicos defending their out-of-date turf is both amusing and sad. They are learning that progress cannot be stopped, only delayed. Online stores are winning at retail, Uber is beating taxicabs into oblivion, streaming is adding while cable is subtracting. What next?
— Bob Norcott
Byron
This story was originally published April 6, 2016 at 7:55 PM with the headline "This is Viewpoints for Thursday, April 7, 2016 ."