Make government more efficient

Recently I read an article in which the writer touts there's something else to cherish about health reform: Standards that require insurance companies to spend 85 percent of their income on customers' medical care instead of lavish overhead, such as executives' super-sized salaries and stock options. Assuming an insurance company made $773 million, then it would be expected to administer its business with $115.9 million.

In another news article (Feds pay $773 million to detoxify old GM sites), the Obama administration has reached a deal on a $773 million environmental trust to clean up dozens of former GM sites. The plan includes $431 million for states to clean up former GM properties and $262 million for administrative costs. That comes to more than 50 percent for administrative costs, as much as they will spend on the project. With the mega national debt, wouldn't you think our government should be as efficient as they demand the insurance companies to be? Is our government a joke or what! Do they really think the American people are so naive?

TAYLOR CAVIN

Hixson

What do we do to regain control?

The regain control of government letter (Oct. 27) is a breath of fresh air compared with most of the other letters you print concerning this issue. This writer carefully and concisely gave solutions to several of our problems with a hint of explanation following each one. The one thing he did not tell us is exactly how we can go about getting control again. Voting the bums out hasn't been the answer, as we just wind up with another set of crooks. I wonder if the new tea party is a step in the right direction. While we are at it, let's hoist the Constitution!

NELLE CLEGHORN

Trion, Ga.

Private sector should step up

The opponents of Obama are trying to convince the voters that his plans for stabilizing the effects of this 2007 recession are completely wrong. The total national debt already was at $12 trillion in 2007. The total national debt didn't cause the 2007 deep recession, but it is necessary for the good of this republic to spend money in preventing the effects of the recession from causing a "great depression."

Not all of the crisis conditions we are in happened at the time President Obama took office, but the anti-Obama people would like the voters to believe that Obama caused them.

At this time, the criticism we hear is "government spending is out of control and where are all of the jobs that President Obama promised after his spending?" I ask, where are the private enterprise sectors who should be stepping up, creating jobs here, without being subsidized? While at the same time, what are the U.S. consumers doing to help create manufacturing jobs here, while continuing to have a $50 billion trade deficit per month with the global corporate monopolies?

Carl Brackin

Georgetown, Tenn.

City's response to storm excellent

As one whose neighborhood was in the path of Tuesday's tornado, I would like to offer sincere thanks to the Department of Public Works and the Electric Power Board, who were on the scene almost immediately after the storm hit and worked nearly 24 hours straight to get fallen trees cleared and power restored to our area. We could not have asked for a quicker or more efficient response from the city.

Allison Gorman

Hixson

Preacher's message was for change

Is he a friend of yours?

He was an itinerant street preacher. He lived among the homeless, the poor and the social outcasts.

He called the religious right serpents, hypocrites, and children of Satan. Calling them "a den of thieves," he went into their church and turned over the furniture.

He said the rich could hardly be saved and told them to sell what they had and give it to the poor.

The conservatives called him a heretic: They arrested, convicted and executed him as a traitor.

He preached love, humility, generosity and compassion for the less fortunate.

Today's right-wing conservatives would call him a liberal and a socialist.

His message was for change: Change of heart, of lifestyle, of mind. Conservative means "against change."

You can find his biography in the first four books of the New Testament. His name is Jesus.

EDNA TAYLOR

Hixson team shows fine sportsmanship

I recently had the opportunity to witness an awesome display of sportsmanship. I attended the opening round of the TSSAA volleyball tournament in Nashville to cheer for the Soddy-Daisy Lady Trojans. Sadly, not one student from Soddy-Daisy was there to support their hard-working girls who had come so far to bring honor to their school. However, Coach Janet Tate from Hixson High School had brought her entire volleyball team to cheer for Soddy-Daisy.

How awesome is this! It just proves that on the floor they can be very competitive, but off the floor, the level of sportsmanship rises to new heights. My hat is off to the Hixson High volleyball team and their coach. Thanks for your support. To Coach Johnson and the Lady Trojans, thanks for a great season: You fought hard and should be so proud of your accomplishment.

PHYLLIS MCCOY

Separation meant to prevent strife

It will make no difference to the local religious fundamentalists who so savor the imaginary frisson of being oppressed (in Chattanooga? puh-lease), but in the spirit of optimism I offer this quote from James Madison, one of the Founding Fathers of this great country: "The purpose of separation of church and state is to keep forever from these shores the ceaseless strife that has soaked the soil of Europe with blood for centuries."

Donald W.

McArthur

Social Security policy set in 1975

In response to an Oct. 24 letter, my husband is also a Social Security recipient, and I have been unemployed for 18 months, so we feel your pain. However, no matter how much one may dislike the present administration, they have nothing to do with the lack of a cost-of-living adjustment the past two years. The COLA has been tied to the rate of inflation since 1975, and the sitting administration cannot override it, whether they be Republican or Democrat. At least, last year, we were not hit with a raise in our Medicare premiums as usually happens during a COLA year. We haven't heard if they will be able to do that for us again this year. We are a nation that likes to assess blame as long as it doesn't fall on us.

Brenda Resh

Use lunch or break for personal things

In response to an Oct. 27 letter to the editor, I agree that the majority of employees do personal business while on company time, (ie. checking cell phones, texting, Facebook, Twitter, e-mails and personal calls). Does this make it right? Absolutely not!

This is an ethical matter which reflects your true character. The time you put in at your place of employment is not yours to do your personal business! You have an employer who hired you to work for him/her. It is your personal responsibility to give 100 percent of your time and efforts to the job and position for which you were hired! If you need to attend to personal matters, do so on your break or lunch time, not at the expense of your employer.

DEBBIE DARLING