Don't get riled up over appointments
Judicial appointments: Some are concerned over President Obama's choice of liberal Goodwin Liu for the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. It may interest some to recall that the late President Reagan appointed Sandra Day O'Connor, the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court, because he was told that she would vote in favor of required prayer in the public school. As the various required prayer cases came before the court, she voted for the U.S. Constitution and against required prayer in every case. So we should not knee-jerk over such appointments.
DR. GEORGE A.
MILLER
Ooltewah
City should detail stormwater fees
In the interest of honesty, integrity, accountability and fair play, I call upon the Chattanooga City Council to see to it that an annual financial statement be published in the Chattanooga Times Free Press detailing how every penny of the so-called "stormwater fees" (rain tax) extracted from the taxpayers is spent.
This publication should include who collects the fees, what the collectors do with the money after they collect it, who pays the fees, how much they pay, how much money is deposited and where the money is deposited.
This publication should detail how, where and when every penny is spent. Without any accountability, before we know it the City Council may levy a Sunshine Tax on the taxpayer since sunshine degrades certain materials over time and "fees" may be "needed" to "upgrade" what the sunshine degrades.
After all, no one has anything to hide, do they?
STEVE BUSH
East Ridge
Health policy is an injustice
What motivates politicians who endorse the health-care status quo over health-care reform?
The Republicans adamantly believe health-insurance companies should enjoy wide latitude to raise premiums and exclude or curtail coverage when it doesn't suit them.
Political speeches, comments from our elected officials and their investments and donations that may be a conflict of interest should be prefaced in bold print..
Should health care be allocated to only those who can afford it or healthy enough to buy it?
The public should be seeking candidates who represent the public interest, not the "Corporate Republican Party of America" and their propaganda vehicle, "Fox News."
And having read the editorial page daily, I have yet to read one preacher or minister voice outrage against this inhumanity and injustice.
JOHN F. EARY
Ringgold, Ga.
Reaction to coyotes is just hysteria
Why must articles about wildlife always be negative? Your most recent tirade about coyotes is very discouraging. You quote a Mr. Jon Larson, who wants to shoot coyotes who are doing nothing, as far as I can tell, to disturb his property or person.
The hysteria about coyotes, 74 to 194 complaints, in recent history, is nothing more than that, hysteria. Coyotes are part of God's kingdom and have to eat just like we do. We have moved in on their habitat, and they are doing the only thing they know to do to survive.
Coyotes are afraid of human beings and flee at the slightest hint of a human being. Give coyotes a break! Please!
HARRY T. "WIG"
ROBINSON
Lookout Mountain, Ga.
Right-wing still casts out its lies
Words for the right-wingers to live by: Puffery: exaggerated opinion not based on facts. Tea party: tempest in a teapot.
The right-wing's main aim in life is to load all their leaders' failures along with snide remarks, (birthers, socialism, Muslim leanings) onto the back of Obama. Their long history of not governing like they are paid to do and being irresponsible and hoping no one notices. (We do, though.) They continue to cast out their lies, half-truths and ill-considered opinions. If they could, they would destroy the middle-class, repeal Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and every other federal program that exists.
They were strangely silent through eight years of Bush 2, who majored in cheerleading in school, bestowed riches upon all his buddies through a war that harmed us not at all and killed over 4,000 of our young lads.
Bush also put this country into $6 trillion debt, ran a war on the credit card, and now they are up in arms about something good for them.
BILL BUCKLEY
Ringgold, Ga.
Many don't prepare for future expenses
My wife and I worked hard before we retired to have our ducks in a row, been retired now nine years and don't owe any medical bills at all, why?
When we retired we took out a Medicare supplement policy to pay what Medicare didn't. I've had a stent put in my heart and numerous other procedures and have a checkup every six months with both my family doctor and cardiologist, and numerous other doctors' bills and don't owe any medical bills.
Bottom line: those people crying about owing and can't afford their medicine is mostly their fault, not all but most all because they spent the extra money and didn't prepare.
Also I am sick of seeing Obama with some poor old lady standing beside him on TV saying she can't afford her operation. This is a great big show. Nothing is wrong with Medicare except waste and fraud; leave the rest alone.
GEORGE THOMAS
Dalton, Ga.
Hospital charge is price gouging
Just turning 51 and with a family history of cancer, it was time for the dreaded colonoscopy. I decided not to go to a local large hospital opting to drive up the road to a smaller medical center thinking it would be less expensive.
Four weeks after the procedure the real colonoscopy begins! When the hospital portion of the bill arrived, the total amount for about a three-hour stay was $10,217.67. Now, I do have relatively good insurance so my portion was $2,707.01. This still was very high for the procedure from what I had been told from others who had it done recently.
My wife called the hospital and was told "That's what we charge." Not accepting that answer, my wife waited several minutes and went through two or three people and was finally told, "Oh! We forgot to apply something!" Your amount is $433.20! Also, looking at the partial statement we received we noticed there is a $5,430.16 adjustment on the bill because of a deal with the insurance company.
A person without a big insurance company behind them will pay the full $10,217.67! This kind of price gouging should be illegal.
GREG MOORE
Apison, Tenn.
Most driving is a necessity
Is driving really just a privilege?
This argument has been advanced recently by some when comparing health insurance to mandatory auto insurance.
Opponents of mandatory health insurance claim that since driving is privilege, auto insurance is not really mandatory. "Just don't drive," they say, if you object to auto insurance requirements.
Most recently this privilege argument was presented by pro-English lobbyist Eddie V. Garcia (Sunday Times Free Press article titled "Group slammed for ties to 'racist'"). The article discussed the controversial subject of English-only driver's exams but once again the concept of driving as a privilege was advanced.
A free people should be rightfully outraged by this cavalier attitude about privilege. For the rich, driving may be a privilege. The chauffeur who drives them likely has a different view. When do government employees, including politicians, define for us what privilege is?
Some drives we take may indeed be privilege, but most are of necessity.
The arrogance to describe driving as a privilege could only come from a politician who has long left the world of reality, where most of us struggle for survival every day.
DAN C. JOHNSON