Zay Flowers is the Lamar Jackson of receivers

If you saw last Sunday’s Baltimore Ravens game against the Denver Broncos and if you saw the moves Zay Flowers made on Denver’s defensive backs, you saw what quarterback Lamar Jackson would look like if he were a receiver (“5 things we learned from the Ravens’ 41-10 win over the Denver Broncos,” Nov. 4)!

— Jim Mundy, Ellicott City

Rise of unaffiliated reflects disenchantment with polarized parties

In regard to the increase in “unaffiliated” voter registrations as those for the two major parties are in decline, the question is why? To those in power in the major parties, I’ll tell you exactly why this is and why it will continue to happen until one or the other or both of the major parties are no more (“Maryland’s ranks of unaffiliated voters rising while registered Democrats, Republicans down from 2020,” Oct. 29).

The cause of this phenomenon is that on the national and state levels and, unfortunately, on even the most local of levels, the major parties are both guilty of pandering to the extreme ends of their followers, all the while ignoring the great numbers whose feelings are more centrist.

If those who rule their party would pay more attention to what was once called “The Silent Majority” and stop listening to the, as I call them, “The Loud Minority,” two things would happen. One would be that legislators at every level would actually get things done that actually help, as opposed to the ongoing gridlock caused by the intransigence on both sides of whatever the issue happens to be. Second, the electorate would, in all probability, actually find a candidate they could vote for instead of identifying the candidate to vote against.

As I have for most elections on all levels over the last 20 years, maybe even more, especially for presidential elections, it’s been hold my nose and vote for the lesser of two evils. That stands even more true this year. If there were a box for “None of the above,” I would have checked it as, in my humble opinion, neither is presidential material — although for vastly different reasons.

I would guess that choice would have been the favorite with a large percentage of voters of both parties who feel the same. That helps explain the “why” of the increase in those registered as unaffiliated.

— Bill Kennedy, Taneytown

Trump’s fascist rhetoric is familiar — and scary

Steven A. Harvey’s thoughts and feelings regarding former President Donald Trump’s rhetoric and threats greatly concern me (“My family fled the Holocaust. Here’s why I may return to Germany.” Nov. 4).

History shows us that fascism can happen anywhere as people are people and can be influenced by a strong intimidating speaker. I believe the same as the author does regarding the prospects of a fascist government in our country. It can bring the demise of personal freedom, freedom of the press, the right to personal speech and mostly finding a common enemy.

History shows us how fascists take over people’s souls. The possibility of more years with Trump terrifies me. I, too, am thinking of leaving the country should he be elected.

Just like Adolf Hitler and all other dictators, Trump plays to people’s fears and spouts misinformation. The rise in antisemitism in this country and the world could be a repeat of what the world saw in the 1930s.

This is Trump’s legacy.

— Joan Solomon, Pikesville

Why spend billions on rail when Red Line has cheaper alternatives?

I read that the Red Line will be about 14 miles long which totals to 24,640 yards or 73,920 feet. And the proposed light rail line will cost Maryland taxpayers somewhere between $3 billion and $7 billion. At the low end, this means over $120,000 per yard or $40,000 per foot.

Yes, that’s $40,000 for every 12 inches including right-of-way, track, tunnels, cars and maintenance facilities. And that is the low-ball estimate (“It’s still not too late to choose the right course for the Red Line,” Nov. 3)!

Why is the cost so high? Those same billions could easily buy a thousand of the increasingly popular electric buses along with driver and security guard salaries and maintenance costs for many years.

These buses should run on express lanes in existing roadways. I never see that option in the papers. I only see the light rail option.

The state should be looking at ways to reduce the cost of this project since it claims to be running out of money. What happened to the $5 billion budget surplus that it had at the start of last year?

— Rick Wiker, Sykesville