Dean best choice for court clerk
I first met Vince Dean during my visits to Nashville on behalf of firefighters while Vince was in the state legislature. We have worked together on a variety of firefighter issues, and I have always found Vince to be a trustworthy and honest man who works diligently for his constituents. Whenever the firefighters had concerns or needed his support, Vince always worked hard for us and was easily accessible. Specifically, he helped us on a bill that provided much needed assistance for firefighters who contract HIV in the line of duty. I believe Vince will make a great Criminal Court clerk. He does not play politics but does what is best for the people he is representing. I strongly support Vince Dean as our next Criminal Court clerk.
TIM BRYANT
Medicaid expansion aids state, residents
I would like to urge Tennesseans to have their state representatives push for our state to accept the Medicaid expansion program. This program is a win-win situation for (a) the working poor, who are taxpayers in Tennessee who work hard to support their families but do not make enough money to purchase private insurance, and (b) for our other state taxpayers who won't have to suffer from higher costs of health care because we have to pay for the uninsured who use our emergency rooms to receive their health care services. Instead, our working poor will have a better quality of life by being able to receive preventive health care. This will keep them working and contributing to Tennessee's economy and decrease the number of citizens with disability claims. Rehabilitative health care is far more expensive than preventive health care. We have to ask ourselves which one are we willing to pay for. If we don't choose one, we are choosing the other. Cities like Chattanooga will benefit because hospitals such as Erlanger will not have resources depleted so quickly because more patients who come there will be covered by Medicaid.
La SHUN WILLIAMS-JOHNSON
Obama foreign policy a disaster
Time to pull the plug on Mr. Obama's version of foreign policy? Before his ill-advised release of five known terrorist leaders in exchange for one soldier of questionable allegiance, his penchant for making poor decisions had already been demonstrated. Dateline 2009: Obama closes down Iraqi prisons run by the American military without cursory record reviews of those released. One who walks was Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the founder/leader of ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria). He is the most powerful and vicious terrorist in the world. Dateline 2014: ISIS conquers Mosul and empties the Central Bank of $500 million in cash and gold. Now he may be the richest terrorist in the world with the possible control of $1 billion in assets. Purchase of one of the unaccounted-for suitcase-sized nuclear bombs from disorganized and corrupt Russia is easily within his reach. His goal? A Middle East run by one fundamentalist Sunni emperor -- a caliphate Muslims call it -- with himself as emperor. Al-Baghdadi's final chilling words to his American guards once released by Mr. Obama? "See you in New York." Will Americans and our congressional leaders demand accountability for Mr. Obama's perfidy? Will we wait until a mushroom cloud rises above New York before that accounting? Time will tell.
ALAN ROBINSON, East Ridge