Benefits vote not constituent driven and other letters to the editors

Benefits vote not constituent driven

It's funny how the school board's attitude toward money varies so greatly, depending on who the recipients are. When they were retroactively voting themselves a pension, they had no qualms.

Qualms only seem to arise when it comes to benefits for the people who are actually teaching our children. If saving money on teacher benefits was really what they thought their constituents wanted, why did they wait until after the election to hold this vote?

AMY PETULLA


Wallace Glad To Vote For Fleischmann

Mr. Weston Wamp's concession to Mr. Chuck Fleischmann congratulating him on "deceiving tens of thousands of Tennesseans" was disgraceful. Young Mr. Wamp's arrogant attitude and disrespect toward a United States congressman was also unacceptable during the WTCI debate.

The irony to this is the cry from the Wamp camp of negative campaigning. The bias from the newspaper accusing Mr. Fleischmann of trashing his challenger with a "sickening litany of lies, half-truths and innuendos unbecoming of anyone running for public office" was expected. Not one indictment against Mr. Fleischmann's record and nothing but speculation regarding Mr. Wamp.

He has no record, nor did he at any time during the debate specify exactly what he would do. Yet he was so adamant about being a leader and working across the aisle that Mr. Fleischmann questioned, more than once, who his opponent actually was, a Democrat or a Republican? Mr. Fleischmann was adamant about what he had accomplished and the principles he believes in, namely the Constitution. I look forward to voting for Chuck Fleischmann in November.

NORMA WALLACE, Ooltewah


More common sense needed in education

In Sunday's paper, there was a lengthy article concerning "payday" lending businesses. These businesses would not exist if there was not a consumer demand for them. Much of the "payday" lending client base are middle-class people who have a more expensive lifestyle than they can afford.

Who is to blame? Surprisingly, our educational system. Instead of "Common Core," how about some "common sense" for a change? Most children in school today will never use what they are required to learn in the additional math courses now required for graduation. However, they sure could use some required comprehensive personal finance and management courses.

Any car salesman can tell you that 75 percent of the time, when they tell a customer "How does $329 a month sound?" the customer never asks, "What is the interest rate?"or "How long is the length of the loan?" I have asked many adults, some college graduates, the following: "What are points on a mortgage loan?"

If you don't know, you might have spent thousands because the educational system failed you, too! But don't despair - at least you still know how to solve that advanced algebra problem you learned years ago but have never used since!

JOE KIRKPATRICK, Cleveland, Tenn.


Thompson To Boycott Burger King's Move

If Burger King moves its corporate offices out of the U.S., I will never buy anything from them again.

I feel this way about any company that is so greedy that it does not want to support the country in which it earns its money.

ROGER THOMPSON, Tullahoma, Tenn.

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