Congressional Seat Is Not A Family Legacy - And Response (10)

April Edison's letter was just plain mean-spirited.

This is the place for opinion but does it have to be expressed in embarrassing platitudes? (Platitude - noun: The quality or state of being flat, dull, or trite.)

Steve Campbell

* * *

Mr. Campbell says that April Eidson expressing her legitimate opinion is mean. Actually, I would disagree with Mr. Campbell's assessment. After reading numerous comments following numerous news stories concerning Weston Wamp, I would say that April's analysis pretty much sums up the opinions of the majority of the folks commenting on those news reports.

Wamp and his followers don't like that fact and attack folks that tell the truth about their logical reasons for not supporting a person like Wamp. Sorry.

Joey Blevins

* * * 

I think the people of the 3rd Congressional District should send Weston the same message that the people of the state of Tennessee sent his father when he attempted to run for governor.

Jeff Perlaky

* * *

Wow, I am glad people don't do homework when they write. It makes their position less illigitimate.

One group of constituents of our current congressman has been totally ignored. The folks that transit Chickamauga Lock. It is the busiest lock on the Tennessee River lock system yet building of the new lock has stopped on this Congressman's watch. It will not restart, with any luck, until 2017. The only reason it would restart prior to that is if the current lock fails and Congress actually appropriates funds to continue construction. That is how the Nashville office of the Corps of Engineers knows this game.

The other thing ironic is commercial waterway user groups have petitioned Congress to increase waterway infrastructure funding by raising the fee collected on diesel fuel. They are constituents whose needs have been ignored by the far right side of the aisle. Defunding by starvation does not make a wise country or Congress. It makes our waterways and all other infrastructure that of a Third World nation.

 Last but not least, two men we all know started their careers politically at a young age. Bill Clinton and Newt Gingrich. One at 27 won the seat of state attorney. The other won a seat in Congress at age 36. The reasons for re-electing our current Congressman are laughable. Those for replacing him are logical.

Prentice Hicks

* * *

April usually does her research, but in the case of Weston Wamp, it is quite obvious she has never met him or discussed the future of our country with him.

First of all, there isn't another young person in Eastern Tennessee who knows more about how Congress works than Weston. He knows what works and doesn't work, and what needs to be done to fix the mess there in Washington. He is truly an extraordinary person.

Secondly, what has happened at the Lamp Post Group is significant. Weston is a founding director. The other founders did not even know Zach Wamp personally until after Weston Wamp began working with them. April's quote about them being Zach Wamp supporters has been circulated by Weston's political opponents for almost four years now. During that time Lamp Post has created hundreds of actual small business jobs.

Furthermore, I am glad that someone like April did not write that Peyton Manning should not attempt to play football because his father Archie was a decent football player, and that it might create some weird dynasty. Or why should anyone support Rand Paul; after all, his father is Ron Paul.

April, one big reason Weston Wamp raised 400K in the first quarter is that he is a very credible, highly electable candidate now, and the other is that Congressman Chuck Fleischmann has failed to do anything other than show up and cast whatever vote Speaker John Boehner tells him to cast. He does not represent the people of East Tennessee. Furthermore, most of Fleishmann’s money comes from the special interests in Washington, and not from the constituents he represents here in the 3^rd District. Republicans in East Tennessee can do much better. Let’s vote Chuck out on Aug 7.

I personally want a congressman that votes in the interests of East Tennessee, and not a pawn who votes in favor of special interests.

Andrew Christiansen

* * *

Steve Campbell read April Edison’s rant as mean-spirited. I find it to be much more comical, mis-informative and ill-written. Weston Wamp cannot succeed his father, Zach Wamp, because the attorney has already done that. Weston will be succeeding the attorney.

Regardless of who has funded the Lamp Post Group, Weston Wamp has made it a successful business and added jobs to the Chattanooga labor market by doing so. For the record, Lamp Post was funded by other individuals in their 30’s, others with vision that parallel Weston’s vision for hope and success. 

Weston Wamp has never wanted to be his father’s “identical twin”, rather he hangs out with his father because Zach is a good man and, like any good father, he has mentored his son. Please explain what is bad about a good father/son relationship. It is a model that if followed more would reduce a lot of the crime we see in our city.

Frankly Ms. Eidson, your rant was nothing less than redundancy in reference to political royalty and irrelevance while failing to state any accomplishments of the attorney. Let me help you here. The attorney went to Washington, D.C., three years ago with a $650,000 debt. On a $170,000 a year salary for this three-year period, he has been able to not only eliminate his debt, he has been able to turn his salary into a multi-million-dollar fortune, all the while allowing our nation’s debt to be increased by several trillion dollars. Wow, we really need more of that. Let us not forget that he joined several other House rsepresentatives in writing a request to the Corp of Engineers to plead for them to fund the Chickamauga Dam project while all these years I thought Congress was over the Corps of Engineers. I though Congress funded the Corps of Engineers.

Weston Wamp does not see this seat as an entitlement and that is why he has put his name out there and given us a chance to change from the non-performing attorney, even at the risk of taking cheap pot shots like the one you have offered. He raised $400,000 the first quarter because individuals like me believe he can pull the wagon and get us out of this mess rather than just profit for himself. If the attorney didn’t have all the PACs and out of state money, there would even be a bigger difference in the amount between what he and the attorney were able to raise. 

J. Pat Williams

* * *

Ooltewah 

* * *

With our national debt in the trillions,  I would like to mention that former Congressman Zach Wamp helped add over $1,000,000 to that debt that our great grandchildren will have to work to pay off,  plus interest,  for a deal that was arranged through the Forest Legacy Program.  This deal gave some of the the developers, who are still involved in the very subdivision in which Zach lives, a sweetheart of a deal, and they even stuck the government with land that is inconsistent with The Forest Legacy Program. 

Should we expect the same type of deals from Weston Wamp? 

I think the Wamps have cost the taxpayers enough. 

Mary Lutz
Chattanooga 

* * *

I, too, found April's rant against Weston Wamp to be devoid of any real facts, just a diatribe against a young man with a sincere desire to serve the 3rd Congressional District.  Using her reasoning it would be a safe guess that she did not support George W. Bush for president due to his father/son relationship with Bush 41. 

As a retired member of the U.S. military, Air Force to be exact, I was pleased to see General Burwell and Medal of Honor recipient Charles Coolidge announce their support for Mr. Wamp. A key aspect of military service is the ability to have confidence in those that are your leaders. Just as the two previously mentioned military leaders, I, too, have confidence in Weston's ability to lead. Age is not a factor in leadership abilities. Just ask any young lieutenant or NCO thrust into a battlefield situation. It is their training and willingness to listen to those they lead that make them leaders. Weston has those characteristics. 

Our current Congress is in disarray.  It needs new, young blood to get us past the times we are now suffering.  Mr. Wamp will return governance to the people of our district.  He will listen and then act in our favor and desires.  That he has learned at the knee of one of the best servants we have ever enjoyed is a plus in my book.  Our current congressman went to Washington without the benefit of such a man and it shows. Has he produced even one piece of substantial legislation in his tenure? Has he successfully continued support of rebuilding the busiest lock on the Tennessee River? 

If you sincerely want new and better leadership for the 3rd Congressional District, your choice has to be Weston Wamp. 

Dennis Norwood 

* * *

Thank you, April Edison, for your courage and civic duty to speak up about Weston Wamp's run for Congress. Your analysis of the situation of the facts at hand is spot on.  

Your statements are not mean spirited, simply factual.  Thank you again. 

Tom Decosimo