Just wait. Political pendulum will swing back
Choosing a felon, a man of low character, over an accomplished woman of high character reveals more about our character as Americans than it does about theirs. Arguments about preferring policies fall flat; policies can be changed; character cannot.
Taking a long view of history will help sustain us. The pendulum swings back and forth between center-right and center-left government. Therefore, if we can keep our 248-year-old form of government, the pendulum will swing away from the hard right in 2026 and 2028.
SANDY GAINES WOOD, ATLANTA
Women vote for policy, not race and gender
John H. Eaves’ question in his Nov. 12 op-ed, “Did race beat gender in the voting behavior of white women?” was demeaning to all women, and his line of thinking is the very reason the Democrats lost the White House and the nation.
Women, regardless of background, are capable of selecting a presidential candidate based on policy, not on race or gender. A presidential candidate should never be chosen simply because of his or her race or gender. Women, just like men, have specific issues that influence their decisions. I am a white woman and am very concerned about the economy and immigration. Vice President Kamala Harris did not solve inflation these past three years and said she couldn’t think of a “single thing” she would have done differently. Harris did not solve the immigration problem even though she was tasked with immigration issues. I will always vote for the person I believe to be capable of resolving my key issues, regardless of race or gender. Other women did the same.
L. GRAY, NORCROSS
Civil servants are gatekeepers of democracy
Throughout my 33 years at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, I witnessed talented colleagues working on the front lines of public health, often under challenging circumstances. Through both Republican and Democratic administrations, we worked for the benefit of all Americans — regardless of party affiliation — and data and evidence mattered.
I remember a lecture by a retired federal senior executive urging managers to operate with integrity to the Constitution. Hitler couldn’t have committed his atrocities without the cooperation of bureaucrats, he explained. In essence, civil servants are the gatekeepers of our democracy. At the time, his warning seemed like hyperbole. Today, it almost seems prescient.
CDC staffers need to know the public has their backs and supports their collection of data, programmatic work and dissemination of scientific evidence for all the preventable causes of illness and death. We never want CDC staffers to trade their white hats for red caps.
MARY WHITE, ATLANTA
People are still hurting from high prices, low wages
This is not political, but reality.
The past two times I visited grocery stores, I had remarkably similar conversations with employees.
The first, I walked into the produce section, and an employee greeted me. He said he just got his paycheck, and it wasn’t enough to pay his motel bill.
A few days later, I went into another grocery store. At the checkout, I remarked to the clerk how much the price of eggs had increased over the past year. The clerk said: “A year ago, I paid $600 to rent a room, and I was paid $15 an hour. My landlord raised my rent to $900. I am still paid $15 an hour. I live in my car now.”
Looking into her eyes, I said I was sorry. As tears welled, she turned around. “I shouldn’t have said that.”
She needed to say that. I do, too.
BRENDA SEVCIK, MILTON
