letter to the editor
As a resident of Farragut, I must take issue with Mr. (Greg) Johnson’s opinion piece, “Local, state ‘Blue Wave’ not happening for Democrats,” published on Aug. 30, 2018.
It sounds like a Blue Wave is threatening Mr. Johnson’s sand castle and his solution is to scream, “Shark!” so the families enjoying the beach will fear the water. Farragut is a community of people who are friends, family and neighbors.
Mr. Johnson’s slash-and-burn approach to how we should view and treat our friends and neighbors if they belong to a different political party is intended to tear us apart and will result in weakening the fabric of our community.
The truth is, people don’t feel represented in Nashville whether they identify as blue, purple or red and we need a solution. The extreme reaction of Mr. Johnson and the extreme representation we currently have in House District 14 is not the answer.
We need to stop allowing the Mr. Johnsons and the politicians with self-serving agendas to divide our community. It’s time for them to stop talking and start listening. It’s time to put people before party.
Mr. Johnson speaks of the delusion of the Democrats and then excitedly describes the Republican party like it’s a monarchy. He speaks of the super-majority as “absolute rule” while conjuring up the “renaissance.” Being ruled by a king is why our ancestors fled Great Britain. We rebelled against the tyranny of rule without representation.
The United States Constitution is a reaction to being ruled by a king and the determination of our Founding Fathers to protect us from being under the thumb of a government with no accountability to its people. Absolute rule threatens all of us because our representatives begin to value accumulation of power, super-majorities and personal agendas over people.
Both my conservative and my liberal neighbors want their legislators to work together to find solutions. There is no Democrat vs. Republican at the office, or in our HOA meetings. They don’t ask for your political affiliation when you volunteer for the PTA or when you walk into the sanctuary at church.
The people in this community work together in a variety of ways every day. We know that demeaning and dividing people is neither moral nor productive. The readership of the farragutpress is hardworking, family-oriented, football-loving, critical-thinking people. Mr. Johnson’s delight in belittling people via arrogance and snark simply because they’re Democrats serves to diminish us all. We all want sensible, reasonable legislators who understand they work for us. We don’t want to be ruled, we want to be heard.
Thankfully Mr. Johnson doesn’t have the power to part the sea or, try as he might, divide this community. Let’s rise above this rhetoric and prioritize supporting the people who are listening to us. Our voices and our votes shouldn’t be drowned out by the covetousness of the banks and telecom companies.
It’s time Nashville started working for us. Real leaders bring communities together and bridge divides. Mr. Johnson may not appreciate waves but rising tides lift all boats.
Thank you to the farragutpress for providing balanced coverage of important issues and events in our community.
Shelly Groktopf
Farragut
