McCormick puts his district first

LETTERS TO THE EDITORS

McCormick puts his district first

I thank our own Rep. Gerald McCormick, majority leader of the Tennessee House of Representatives, for fighting for us and the thousands of jobs and millions of dollars that Amazon.com is putting here. He's just the kind of person we're supposed to elect to public office.

He had to take on some of the strongest colleagues from his own party in the House and Senate, but he wasn't intimidated by them or the Walmarts of the world. He fought them tooth and nail to the bitter end, television commercials as well.

South Carolina ran Amazon off, but not Tennessee. We kept our word.

So now we have the thousands of jobs in Chattanooga and Cleveland. Folks, we have a majority leader who has statewide duties, but puts our community and his legislative district first. Pat him on the back and thank him.

Who else is better to work with the governor every day?

W.L. "BUBBA" RICKETTS

Benefactors make fundraiser a success

On behalf of the Episcopalooza 2011 leadership team, I wish to extend our heartfelt appreciation to the numerous corporate partners, media outlets, auction donors and passionate volunteers who made our event such a wonderful evening and smashing financial success raising over $60,000 to support the work of St. Peter's Episcopal School.

It was indeed a stormy, rainy night at Lookout Lake Bed & Breakfast but the spirit of the evening and the generosity of those who attended the event illuminated the night with celebration and joy for the love we have for our children. For that we are eternally thankful.

EDDIE GRANT,

Co-Chairman

Bal Harbor

Beware of varied cost of same drug

This is a warning for all who use drops to reduce eye pressure to avoid the damages of glaucoma.

I ordered a refill on my prescription, which I had taken to a large chain drug store. I was charged $42 as opposed to the $19 I paid last month. When I questioned this, the clerk offered to order from the previous company. Why didn't she do that in the first place? When we inquired at other drug stores, we were quoted a price as high as $88! That is the price for the original drug (non-generic).

Further inquiry found a price of $21 at Access Drugs, on Hixson Pike, at South Access Road. They will have my prescription business from now on!

The highest prices were at the chain drug stores who want customers to think their prices are best.

As I think this is a medicine used by many "older" people who may have no, or limited insurance coverage, it is important that they be aware of the extremes in pricing.

The medication is Xalatan, the original. The generic is Latanoprost.

ANNABELLE LAUDEMAN

Use Fairchild's service as example

One more brief comment on the school board:

We have had the good fortune to have one member, the former chairman, Mr. Everette Fairchild, serving our schools.

Mr. Fairchild resigned the chairmanship recently because of age and poor health. He is 83 years old.

This gentleman has given selflessly of himself to the schools and the students therein for his whole working life. I am sure he would have retired years ago had he not felt how much he was needed to serve the best interests of our schools.

He cannot be replaced, but some of the people who wish to be board members could use his service as a model and try to do as well.

As a citizen and as a mother of three and grandmother of three who have attended local schools, I sincerely thank Mr. Fairchild for his contributions to our schools and our children.

CAROLYN R. McCRARY

Hixson

Nation's spending drives prosperity

Tuesday's Free Press editorial ("Washington takes 1/4 of our GDP") was as idiotic as anything I've ever seen in your newspaper.

Get the teabags out of your head and try using your brain. You say that "close to one-fourth of everything we as a nation produce in a year is being taken to finance our national government." Oh really? Let me offer a real-world example to explain this so that even your editor might understand it.

When the federal government pays the lion's share of the cost for a new highway interchange on Interstate 75 in Chattanooga, do you really believe that money is financing our national government? Or is it financing a highway interchange in Chattanooga? Is this really too difficult for you?

The government doesn't "take" any of our GDP. It doesn't "burn through" any of our GDP. By definition, every dollar the government spends adds a dollar to our GDP. Government spending on infrastructure, education, health and welfare is what drives our country's prosperity. Only government can make these investments. When you oppose government spending, you're fighting against our country's future. Will your children thank you for leaving them no debt if they also have no opportunity?

ROBERT FAST

GOP created mess it now decries

We have reached a watershed moment in American politics. The tea party is up in arms because the Republican Party has failed to deliver on its promise of fiscal responsibility after years of running up deficits under the Bush administration. They blame President Obama for the current economic crisis, but there is a stoic resignation that they are uncomfortable thinking about the repercussions of the 2010 midterm elections.

Concurrently, the Republicans are gearing up for their usual effort at repressing the voter turnout for the 2012 election. Low voter turnout benefits the GOP. Thus they focus on mitigating the turnout for minority, low-income, students and elderly voters.

This is nothing new, but it takes on a greater impetus this election since the ultimate goal is to limit President Obama to a single term.

The idea of a successful minority president is abhorrent to the ultraconservative element of the Republican Party. They are, however, unable to exorcise the post-election ghost: the backlash against the party of "no" and the GOP's radical social agenda is gaining momentum. The Republicans created their own reality.

They created our present- day economic and fiscal problems, and now they are vigorously campaigning against them.

JOHN HIGHT

Obama abusing use of aircraft

Go to Google on your computer and pull up President Obama's latest trip on Air Force One. Then pull up the cost.

Now he's on a trip to Ireland to check out his so-called family tree.

One of his vacation trips with his family costs us $1.5 million. Millions of Americans can't afford the gas to take their family to a local theme park or beach.

He took one trip of just 11 miles on Air Force One, instead of using his armored limo, or Marine One (helicopter) at a cost of far less than the estimated cost of $100,000.

All of these costs do not include the maintenance or upkeep of Air Force One (yes, there are two of them). With the shape America is in these days, people out of work, and the debt going out of sight, this man is abusing the use of these aircraft.

Are you mad yet? I know I sure am.

KELVIN H. FLEMINGS

Soddy-Daisy

Moral confusion reigns in nation

Beyond an unwavering cultural commitment to tolerance (by which we usually mean acceptance of any viewpoint except the one which says that some things are intolerable), there's little moral clarity in America today.

"Discrimination" is an example. We routinely use it to mean unjust treatment, which was the speaker's intent in the statement, "Presbyterians (ended) discrimination," quoted in Clint Cooper's "Church acts on gay clergy" (May 21). Exactly, but in a more basic sense "discriminate" means to distinguish one thing from another, to say that A is not B.

The action in question concerns the now-revoked requirement in the Presbyterian Church USA that clergy must live in fidelity in marriage (male-female) or in chastity in singleness. In this context, the real issue of discrimination is distinguishing those qualified to lead in the church from those not qualified.

What are the standards by which the PCUSA makes this distinction? Since this body has apparently construed the biblical qualification "husband of one wife" to mean that marital fidelity or chastity in singleness are of no moral significance, there's truly no discrimination among them; that is, there are no longer meaningful distinctions concerning sexual behavior. Moral confusion reigns in America and in the church.

GARY LINDLEY

Lookout Mountain, Ga.

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