Letters: As a native Tennessean, I can explain why people would want to live in the South

I read with some amusement the letter “Experience living in a red state” (July 17) in which the writer mentions unpleasant experiences he had 50 years ago in Birmingham Alabama, and occasional visits now to visit relatives of his wife. He extrapolates those experiences to say “for the life of me, I can’t understand why anyone would want to live (in states like that).”

As a native Tennessean, I was also offended. I moved to the Chicago area in 1980 for a job after college and haven’t left, even though I am now retired. I travel back to Chattanooga frequently to see my mom, sister, brother-in-law and friends. Though I am tempted to leave here and move back, I won’t because my two grown children, two grandchildren and my girlfriend are here, and I will not leave them.

Why would anyone want to live in the South? Decent weather in the winter, low or nonexistent state income taxes, low property taxes, lower crime rates compared with here, and I could go on. Lots of my friends in Tennessee don’t understand why I stay here. So it goes both ways.

— Rick Kyle, Wheaton

Try to avoid stereotyping

David Kempner in the letter “Experience living in a red state” describes his unhappy time in the early 1970s after having moved to a Deep South state. We should like to point out that not all Yankees (Ohio and Illinois) received similar treatment in the South at that time, even when they displayed a George McGovern bumper sticker on their Volkswagen.

The first local we approached to find us a rental in Athens, Georgia, immediately offered us a delightful, reasonably priced two-bedroom house within easy walking distance of the campus — and on the same street, albeit at the other end, as the home of the already-legendary football coach. Any problem we found with the house was immediately fixed.

Two older neighbors, both natives of Athens, warmly welcomed us, and one of them pointed out that there was no reason we should purchase a lawn mower because we could use his anytime we wanted. Two neighborhood couples, native Georgians our age, became our fast friends.

At the final inspection of our rental as we were leaving for Yankee-land, our rental agent declared that the house was in better condition than when we had rented it, and therefore, she was returning not only our deposit but also doubling it.

We offer this simply as a caution not to assume that everyone (or even a majority) in some particular area of our country behaves in a widely believed, stereotypical way.

— Charles F. and Karen M. Thompson, Bloomington, Illinois

Chicago’s failed priorities

I’m about as “Chicago” as it gets — I was born poor in Pilsen, attended high school in Bronzeville, married a girl from Logan Square, attended college on the Mag Mile and worked for Aon when its world headquarters were just off the Loop, and I live in the Gold Coast. I remember a time when Chicago was constantly referred to as “the city that works.” No more.

Mayor Richard M. Daley once told me that a city can’t be successful unless three priorities are met — the streets are safe, the garbage is picked up and the public schools are good. Well, the garbage is picked up, but in every other way, Chicago has become a failed city. Crime and violence are everywhere, panhandlers pester tourists on Michigan Avenue, teenage mobs riot in the Loop from time to time, the public schools are dreadful despite spending $30,000 per student, the city’s pension obligations are woefully underfunded, the City Council is a racially driven clown show, and residents and businesses are fleeing.

I just celebrated my 83rd birthday. I just might have a brighter, longer future than Chicago does.

— Bob Foys, Chicago

E-bikes and the young

Mom and Pop didn’t have a lot of biking-around money when I was a kid, so I was late to the biking scene. When I was around 9, they finally splurged on a behemoth, used 26-inch Monarch bike that seemed as heavy as me.

A scrawny string bean, I struggled to get the bike down the gangway to the basement and up again the next day. Good for the arms and shoulders. Pedaling was another challenge. This big bike with big tires put a strain on my pedal extremities. What sin was committed to deserve this punishment, I pondered?

I quickly realized “The Tank,” as I called it, was my ticket to freedom from the four walls. It took me everywhere in my Chicago Garfield Ridge neighborhood with my cohorts in adventure. Sometime later, I discovered I could run like blazes, the fastest kid among my peers. That helped me excel at sandlot baseball and football. Here I am today at 78, losing a step every year, but I’m still the fastest in my play group. All thanks to The Tank.

That’s why I look in dismay at the little types around my house speeding down the streets and sidewalk with their feet frozen to the pedals. Lithium ion batteries are doing all the motivating while the bikes’ pilots might as well be asleep at the wheel. I wonder how well they’ll be moving on their own in a few decades.

Societal progress is not a straight line upward. It moves in fits and starts. Right know, those lithium ion batteries moving kids around is more of a fit than a start.

— Walt Zlotow, Glen Ellyn

Maintaining independence

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Recently, there was a letter from an older couple (“Thank you to helpful officers,” July 12) who thanked police officers for helping them get home after a very bad experience with Uber. I thought it lovely of them to take the time to do that. Then came a letter (“Couple dumped by Uber driver,” July 17) adding the rest of the story from the daughter about the poor and inadequate service from Uber and taxi drivers.

I have also been a long-distance caregiver, so I understand the frustration. Certainly, the least that can be expected of a ride-share driver is to arrive at the correct address. However, Uber, Lyft and taxi drivers may fear offering assistance in and out of the vehicle due to liability concerns.

It’s wonderful that her parents, ages 94 and 101, have enjoyed a high level of independence over the years. I suggest that she and her parents check out the website for the Aging Life Care Association. There, a person can type in a ZIP code to locate nearby geriatric care managers. These professionals are experts in providing information and advice on resources that are available to maintain as much independence as possible.

Hopefully, this couple can put this terrible experience behind them because their ages suggest resilience and a can-do attitude that we should all attempt to emulate.

— Charlaine Reynolds, Chicago

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