Sunday, February 23, 2014
Specifically, this letter is to the folks at the VW plant who voted against the union. Sad news, folks, you lose. The reason? The Republican lawmakers got there first, and they did some fast talking (and allegedly made a few threats), convincing you, that among other things, auto parts suppliers will not want to locate in Tennessee because it would mean locating next to a union plant. Read "lost jobs." It's true the VW workers are getting a good salary, but have you thought of all the union benefits and protections? Getting hurt in the shop could mean one thing to you and another to management. It's these situations that the union's steward will speak for you, and history has shown that in almost every case the rulings went to the employees. Remember, the Republican legislature is not on your side; they're strictly big business. Therefore you have no protection, and there are many things going on other than a good paycheck and medical coverage. The world is changing, and among the changes you need to watch are things like the insurance companies who are trying to raise rates and diminish coverage ahead of the Affordable Care Act. The company sets medical coverage, but the union would be at the table caring for your interests, not something you, as individuals, can do.
TED GREEN, Sweetwater, Tenn.
Clay Bennett's cartoon on Feb. 16 gives the GOP his 7,500th Valentine at 5/week x 50/yr x 30 years? I return the favor and point him to true love, including political love. True love is Jesus Christ dying for sinners. Would Clay die for Republicans? True love is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost loving each other and doing things for each other, so God by himself has lots of love instead of being lonely; and true love is God creating and sharing his love out of his abundance rather than from need. True love is God giving us sinners his law, preferences, advice, and story, so we know what he wants. True love is God ordering us sinners to repent, like a doctor prescribing for patients instead of telling them all the loathsome lie "you're healthy" when they're desperately sick. (Is Jesus anti-Christian when he tells his churches to repent?) And Christian political love is libertarian: government terrorizing evildoers so people can do whatever good things God wants them to, instead of bureaucrats telling fellow humans what to do (Romans 13, I Timothy 2, I Samuel 8).
ANDREW LOHR