Opinion

As a consistent voter, I like to believe that my participation earns me the right to complain, be it about government policy, social or other issues. But this time I am writing to complain about my inability to vote for key county offices in the upcoming primary election. Several winners from the primary will be effectively elected to office on May 5 because they will have no opponents in the August general election. Yet I cannot vote for these candidates, and risk prosecution because I normally (but not always) vote for candidates of a different Party. Tennessee ostensibly has open primaries, meaning a voter can declare Party preference at the polling station. And yet the requirement to affirm party bona-fide under the threat of prosecution to vote cross party smacks of thought police intimidation. Tennessee should either adopt closed primaries by requiring party registration, or remove this flagrant, big-brother, double-talk coercive tactic. Our local representatives Bricken and Bowling should introduce legislation to repeal. Or better yet hold caucuses. There is a fundamental disconnect between spending public funds to hold primary elections to benefit private entities called political Parties. The government does not fund Party caucuses. So why should government fund Party primaries. What if a voter is motivated to cross party line with the intent to actually improve the other Party’s standing (in his or her mind) by voting for a less woke or a less MAGA candidate, as the case may be.

Once again Trump has sunk to a new low, he is comparing himself to our Lord Jesus Christ. To me this is an abomination of the highest order. I know that the Christian Nationalist have his back, God forbid that a woman has a voice or a vote. This morning, his minions are trying to backpedal and play this off. Please, somebody try to wrangle in the spoiled little rich boy before our country is totally ruined. I mean so far it’s our economy, healthcare, housing, affordability, fuel, illegal wars and now common sense. Do you realize that if you took half of what Elon Musk was paid, we could solve all of our above problems with change left over. And any Republicans say different, please fact check me on this if you guts!! Larry Bowen, Candidate for County Commission District 2

My wife suffered a freak fall recently that fractured two vertebrae and broke her collarbone. The ambulance took her to the local hospital where she was treated, and then sent home.