Friday, January 1, 1904
Sen. Todd Gardenhire states (April 25), that he is "most proud of the bill to stop animal abuse early." Is this the same person who "nonvoted" on the anti-cockfighting bill?
Mr. Gardenhire, do you know exactly where you stand on animal abuse?
LEA ANN WILLIAMS
I would like to thank The Chop House for its recent expression of support for my son, Pfc. Eric Ross.
My son just graduated from Marine boot camp at Parris Island, S.C. He had been home for a few days before his next assignment.
In response to his request for real food, my wife and I took him to several restaurants in Chattanooga of his choosing. On Sunday we took him to The Chop House for a special treat. At all the restaurants, we asked if they gave a military discount. None did, except The Chop House. It did not charge my son for his meal.
This show of support for my son and for the military is greatly appreciated and should be acknowledged.
JOHN ROSS
In his April 21 column, Walter Williams very correctly points out the difference in price and cost. Unfortunately he leaves out part of the equation, just as the Free Press editor often does.
Williams points out that if you lived in New York City you wouldn't go to Boise, Idaho, to get a haircut even if the price is cheaper there. Let's modify the example -- suppose you live a mile away from one barber shop and 15 miles away from another where the price is $2 higher. Why would you go to the one farther away? What if it were frequently used by potential clients of yours, any one of which could sign up with you and increase your business by a significant margin? Suddenly the longer trip looks more attractive.
The same logic applies to many of the government spending items that Drew Johnson often decries. If government didn't get involved, VW would have been reluctant to build in a city that didn't provide support for the arts, have a revived and thriving downtown, etc.
They say you get what you pay for; the other side is that you rarely get what you don't pay for.
KARL HUNT
Princes of the Washington nobility believe that they have been given divine dominion over the serfs and slaves who support their lavish lifestyles and extravagant excesses. They treat the citizens as if we were mentally challenged. They expect us to be destined to servitude for their benefit for as long as we live.
Congress members held secret meetings to exclude themselves and their staff from Obamacare, elevating themselves above the law again. They feather their nests and aggrandize their friends and relatives. They live in mansions and castles built with our sweat and taxes. They benefit from sweetheart deals. Fat cats pay the entertainment bill with price increases on our food, fuel and the water we drink.
The yoke of English tyranny was removed in 1776. We fought a war against the axis powers to preserve those freedoms.
How did we manage to allow ourselves to become the servants of an oppressive government that is sucking us dry? People better get involved before we end up in a commune where it is each according to his abilities to each according to his needs. We are almost there now!
JERRY PEYTON
I am constantly amazed at how the poor and middle-class in this country continue to vote against their best interests. Is it due to naiveness or ignorance? The GOP is against anything for the common man, including fair wages, public education, affordable health care, clean air, clean water, etc. If you're filthy rich in this country, you are protected by your Congresspeople; if not, you can have your guns and Bibles, and that's about it.
It took the Senate one day to address removing the FAA from the sequester because they didn't want to have to wait in line as they go on another 10-day vacation. This is no longer a democracy; it's a plutocracy, with its citizens kept in line with ignorance, fear and hate.
I heard a GOP congressman on the House floor yesterday say, "We weren't attacked by terrorists under George W. Bush, so why did President Obama not keep us safe?" I guess if you don't count the nearly 3,000 who were killed on 9/11 that statement might ring true, but the GOP chooses to rewrite history, and the brainwashed choose to believe these lies.
ANN BENTON, Signal Mountain