Letters to Editors

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Other power sources better than nuclear

Sen. Lamar Alexander's new book, "Going To War In Sailboats," reminds me of Slim Pickens' bull-riding a nuclear warhead out of a jet plane at the end of the dark comedy "Dr. Strangelove."

He thinks supporting nuclear power is a no brainer, and he's right; you don't need any brains to support nuclear power. In fact the less brains the better. The economic perils are so great the casino barons of Wall Street won't go near it, so the taxpayers are called on to bail out another big time gamble gone bad.

By the time you add in the subsidies, nuclear power is the most expensive power on earth. It diverts vast quantities of drinking water for use in its cooling process, and some engineers claim the newest reactor could allow radiation to escape into the atmosphere.

Unfortunately, we got nuclear power right the first time. No matter how you use it, it is only good for killing. I'll take solar, wind, water, geothermal, hydrogen, waste-to-energy and bio-mass into battle anytime before I would ride that nuclear bull.

DAVID CLARK

Tullahoma, Tenn.


Maglev would be its own attracton

Connecting Atlanta and Chattanooga via a high-speed maglev train is as exciting for Chattanooga's tourism business as the discovery of Ruby Falls or the opening of the Tennessee Aquarium. A maglev that travels at 300 mph and shortens travel time from Chattanooga to Atlanta to only 30 minutes would be an attraction in itself. Tourists from around the world would come to ride the train and visit our world-class attractions. With tourism being our second-largest industry and employer here in Chattanooga, adding an attraction of that magnitude would be transformative for our great city.

A maglev train would also play a key role in boosting our Friday night tourism business. Just ask our hotel and restaurant proprietors about their Friday night business over the past few years. With increasing drive times due to traffic from our surrounding cities, fewer people are coming on Fridays. Atlantans heading north on Friday afternoons often fight extra hours of travel time due to congestion, and so avoid that Friday night.

Visitors arriving by maglev would arrive without their cars, reducing automobile traffic within our pedestrian-friendly city. The maglev is a logical next step along Chattanooga's great track record of sustainable, smart development.

DAVE SANTUCCI


Simplify things with the Fair Tax

Everyone knows that higher taxes are on the way, so wouldn't it be great if we paid no taxes at all. Right now we are paying an embedded tax of 23 percent on everything we buy at retail.

With the Fair Tax we would pay 24 percent on everything we choose to buy at retail and nothing else. Just think, the IRS would be no more and April 15 would be just another pretty day.

Please go to FairTax.org and find out just how great this would be, and help to get the Fair Tax passed.

JO ANN WHITLOW

Harrison


Nation is yours to keep or lose

Now is the time when we as good Americans need to realize the value of what we have and do all we can to keep it. The U.S.A. is a unique society. Not perfect, mind you, but very unique.

Nowhere else on the planet do the citizens enjoy as many freedoms and opportunities. The sky is the limit. There are plenty of countries like the ones Obama would turn us into. We don't need another one. There's only one U.S.A., and we like it that way.

Wake up, people. This unique situation is yours to keep or lose. Make up your mind and let your elected officials know where you're coming from and where you're going, with or without them.

If you want to live in a country controlled by the government, move your family to South America, Russia, Iran or Europe.

Personally I prefer the U.S.A. and know my children would prefer it the way it is.

Everything the government controls reeks of corruption and leads to bankruptcy.

Opportunity knocks for those of us who are paying attention. Let's open that door and take the steps to preserve America. It's not a Democrat or Republican thing; it's an American thing.

MONTY L. OWNBY


America not what it should be

America is losing her soul to hatred, greed and vicious ugliness. Too many are damning those "different" from them or disagreeing with them, and denying that they are true American citizens.

Required demands "for your papers" if you "look" suspicious to police (see Arizona/illegals) have been placed into law. What makes someone illegal -- your clothes, your shoes, your eyes, your shyness, your belligerence, your fear, your dark skin, your accent? Asking "for your papers" in this country is against everything we ever believed as Americans!

The love of money has created an unethical Wall Street, a banking system that is too big to fail, loan sharking to grab any dollars from the ones among us who have the least, and health insurance systems which want to have the premium but avoid paying for the illness.

Groups around the nation are saying vile things about other Americans, threatening and creating fear through propaganda on talk shows and advertisements, always against, against, against! It is disgraceful!

Tears for the beautiful American flag on a windy day, enjoying the fruits of freedom, caring for all humanity, the right to civility and domestic tranquility -- this is America, the beautiful as we should be.

SHARON MCINTOSH


Safety foremost in marijuana law

While the medical benefits of marijuana are debatable, it is probably not reasonable to deny someone who is chronically ill its pleasures. However, public safety has to trump individual rights. As such, any "medical marijuana" statutes must have certain provisions to avoid its abuse. These must include at least the following:

1) The state must operate the program, with distribution coming only through that program.

2) Anyone admitted to such a program must be considered unfit for employment and unfit to operate a motor vehicle. As such, anyone in this program must surrender his/her driver's license.

3) The state must have the mandate to do drug testing on any driver involved in a motor vehicle accident, done under established government guidelines, with "refusal to test" being treated the same as a "positive" result, with automatic driver's license suspension, and an appropriate jail sentence. For those injured or unconscious, submission to the test is to be assumed. Likewise, drug testing must be allowed for anyone stopped for any moving traffic violation, under the same rules.

4) As under federal rules, "passive exposure" or "spousal use" are never to be considered as acceptable reasons for a "positive" result.

DAVID CLOSE, M.D.


Think twice on 'creating' jobs

I read April 26 at MoneyNews.com: "The White House's Council of Economic Advisers says the $787 billion Recovery Act is on track to create or save 3.5 million jobs by the end of the year."

I crunched some numbers. That comes to $216,285 per job. I figured if I hire six persons for every one the president says he will hire, I could pay each one $36,047 per year, or $17.33 per hour before taxes. That seems like a pretty good wage to me. I could hire 21 million people and the president could only hire 3.5 million. Would that bring the unemployment rate down to about 6 percent?

I further pondered, what happens when the money runs out? Of course, government's answer is to borrow from China or bond our way out.

I thought, this is the problem with government -- thinking it can "create" jobs

Only we, as people of our country, can create jobs that last. This is why government's role in society should be very limited. The White House's news makes me wonder what criteria people use when they vote for someone. If they want to spend your money to "create" a job, think twice before you check the box.

MARK ALBERTINI


President riding a power high

Is it me or is President Obama costing the taxpayers millions if not billions jetting all over the country. When he goes somewhere, we not only pay for gas (which is out of sight) for the jet but we pay for all his Cabinet and bodyguards who go with him and the cost of putting the town he goes to at a standstill while he is there. He seems to put himself in the middle of a lot of things that are just not presidential concerns. I think it is a power high he is on at the cost of the taxpayers. Am I wrong in thinking like this? Or just the only person brave enough to say something.

REGINA BOUTWELL

Ooltewah


It's time to stop nation from sinking

Does this liberal government represent what we want done in our country?

Do we want to reduce nuclear weapons and tell the world when we will not use our military force to protect ourselves from other nations attacking us?

Do we want to continue to apologize to other countries for our actions or remove our flags in countries where we are bringing aid to those needing our help?

Do we want to put our military under U.N. control and enforce outside rules detrimental to our salvation?

Do we want an internal defense force reporting directly to the president in lieu of using our military in case of national disasters?

Is this president trying to make us a second-rate nation or, much worse, a nation not at all? How far do we let this nation sink before we do something about it? I think we have gone far enough and we need to stop it now.

BENNIE MCFATHER

Ooltewah


Don't throw stones in execution case

Your enthusiasm for getting on with the execution of Gaile Owens makes me wonder if you know anything about the case.

Do you know that Mrs. Owens is the only inmate in Tennessee to get a death sentence after accepting life in prison;

That she carries the diagnosis of "battered women's syndrome: caused by her husband's consistent and severe violence;

That the jury heard no evidence of this physical, emotional and sexual abuse;

That, despite the abuse, she always has been remorseful for causing the death of her husband; and

That she did not testify about all the abuse to protect her young sons from the awful details.

If Mrs. Owens is executed ,she will be the first woman since 1820. I also wonder about your very public, almost boastful stance as "Christian." It appears you are casting the first stone and urging your fellow Tennesseans to "finish the job!"

Lastly, do you know that eight comparable cases resulted in six probations or parole and two life sentences. Mrs. Owens is the only one sentenced to death.

There is so much more to know before you throw any more stones!

BLAKE MOORE

Signal Mountain