Heroes aplenty in transplants
I agree with Melvin Gillilan (letter, April 12). I, too, have a hero. In fact, I have more than one.
My first hero is God -- for allowing me to survive until my transplant could occur. My second hero is my donor -- her liver has allowed me to have my life back. My third hero(es) -- her family, for giving permission to allow the harvesting of her organs. My fourth hero -- my surgeon at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital.
And, equally important, my family, friends and my church -- all for supporting me and standing by me during this "adventure."
I also want to emphasize what Mr. Gillilan said. Many people are dying every day because they cannot get the organ(s) they need. After we die, we don't need these organs any more; they are just wasted if they are buried!
Why not arrange with your family members to donate your organs when you don't need them any more? That gift could give others a chance to live.
Please, please sign your driver's license and/or a donor card. Let your family know what you desire after you die. The website www.donatelifetn.org can give you all the information you need.
LENORA BARBER
GM used U.S. funds to pay back the U.S.
GM pays back the U.S. What a great story! An even better story is that they paid us back with our money! The $40 billion that we loaned them in their second bailout was the money they used to pay us back for the first bailout. It obviously wasn't with money they earned; they lost over a billion dollars over the past six months. They even put their CEO up to making a commercial to tell us they were paying us back five years early. I was born at night but not last night.
Question for you? Where is that in the newspaper? With not one arrest in all of the Tea Parties across the states there have been so many stories written about violence within. However, in Arizona the left has erupted over the immigration law, thrown bottles, fists, screaming, arrests and threats for more. That article on page three of section A (April 27) makes it out that the angry crowd are the good guys.
Loved the picture of U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez shaking hands with a great big smile above the story. What about the picture of the policeman getting a bottle smashed on his head?
MIKE JOHNSON
Hixson
Pair continue politics-as-usual
As Robin Smith and Chuck Fleischmann argue about who has the support of Mike Huckabee and his past supporters, they exhibit the ongoing problem we have in politics.
Instead of addressing issues that matter to people -- the economy, jobs, security, debt reduction, crime, illegal immigration, and dependence on foreign oil -- these politics-as-usual campaigns concentrate on trivia at the expense of all of us.
My campaign is different. I haven't risen through the ranks of party patronage. I haven't been indoctrinated in political gamesmanship. I don't have the ability to self-fund my campaign, and refuse to believe this race is as simple as the person with the most money winning. My campaign and my life have been about public service, not politics. I have the record to prove it. We must move away from politics dominated by big money, D.C.-based PACs, outside-the-district endorsements and special interests and work for what matters: Tennesseans struggling to support their families.
It's time to send people to Congress with records of action over words, results over excuses. I ask for your vote in the August primary. We can change direction and place our district and country ahead of typical politics-as-usual.
TIM GOBBLE
Candidate for Congress
Third District,
Tennessee
Court's decision on animals a shame
What kind of people do we have on the Supreme Court? What kind of reasoning would find horrible animal cruelty "free speech"? Animals depend on people for protection. They are helpless. Also, the welfare of our children (who could view this evil while surfing the Internet) and the protection of our society trumps the "rights" of people with serious mental defects to stomp animals to death. Not only are animals subjected to unspeakable cruelty, but people who have feelings for them also suffer, and so does society. As usual, the court has made a shameful decision.
DALE D. ROSE
Cleveland, Tenn.
Absence of book sale hurts library
The Friends of the Library in Hamilton County have lately received word that they will not be able to hold their planned sale of used books at Northgate Mall in August. The reason given is that the sale has caused a dip in sales at the Book Gallery inside the mall.
I am a retired school librarian living near the mall, and I buy used books for my reading pleasure because I cannot afford the price of new books.
I do buy new books at the Gallery as gifts for friends and family.
Many of my friends are senior citizens who practice the same economy, and they will be as appalled as I am to lose the convenience of a used-book sale at a nearby mall. The two Friends book sales each year have provided much needed funds for Hamilton County libraries, which have had their budgets radically reduced in recent years. This is one of the only means of raising extra funds available to the libraries.
I hope the management of Northgate Mall will have a change of heart and welcome the Friends of the Library book sales once more.
PATRICIA PLUNKETT
Hixson
Country needs Tarvin in Congress
President Obama said that when he "walked through the door, the deficit stood at $1.3 trillion ..." That is not true.
The deficit under George Bush when he left office was a substantial $454.8 billion. After six months of the new administration, the deficit was over $1 trillion. Discretionary spending has increased by 84 percent.
Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., told President Obama "There's no one in your administration that understands what it means to go to work on Monday and make a payroll on Friday."
Steve Tarvin is a self-made businessman who has worked his way up from a minimum wage job at a Georgia factory to the president and CEO. He has created jobs, met payrolls and paid millions in employee health benefits. He is not another career politician. Steve Tarvin is the kind of honest business man who we need in Washington.
I encourage your Georgia readers to vote for Steve Tarvin for Congress on Tuesday.
JEFF FLETCHER
Why are funds 'discretionary'?
In the recent election, I followed the campaign ads, letters to the editors and other things like pictures that include candidates.
I kept seeing the words "discretionary funds." What are they? Where do the funds come from, allowing commissioners to just give away money to numerous organizations.
Why, just before election time, does all of this generosity show up in the newspaper and at "meet your candidate" wide screen show-and-tell presentations.
I started asking questions and found that each Hamilton county commissioner is issued $100,000 annually, and do just that, give it away ... as they see fit.
Why do only incumbents have the privilege? Is this why they are re-elected year after year?
If you had $100,000 of someone else's money to just give away, how many friends could you make?
This practice needs to be changed. $100,000 times nine commissioners is a lot of money just to give away.
No wonder local government is in a financial jam most of the time.
BOB ROCK
Red Bank