Man grateful for policeman's warning
I'm sick and tired of people downing our men and women in law enforcement. I would like to tell you about an experience that happened to me recently about 1 a.m. on Germantown Road.
I had just come from Erlanger hospital after visiting a good friend, who was near death. I could see a police car behind me. I knew the speed limit was 30 mph. I wasn't speeding, but the policeman pulled me over anyway.
He said my brake light was out and my tags weren't up to date. I didn't have my seatbelt on, and I didn't have any proof of insurance, but I don't think he noticed.
My wife was praying.
When the policeman came back, he handed me my license and said, "Sir, you be on your way and make sure you get your brake light fixed and get your tags up to date."
I know that "my god is real," and I told my wife, "I really think he was an angel from heaven."
Phillip Osborne
Volkswagen will always want more
Thank you, David Cook, for challenging corporate greed (Jan. 20). Corporations have tricked us into believing we need them more than they need us. When we treat corporations as our only source of wealth, we suffer the consequences. They squeeze all the money they can out of us with the promise of jobs while giving no thought to how their demands affect our community. As Cook points out, Chattanooga could do a lot with the $900 million the state gave in incentives and tax breaks to Volkswagen. Now, Volks- wagen wants another $6 million to promote itself; it's a never-ending, vicious cycle. Corporations work best when they are regulated to serve the public good (as in the first corporate charters in America). Corporations should be working for us, not milking us dry. For example, why not ask Volkswagen to fund a bus to its factory so it could hire low-income workers? It could offer free rides to employees. Being of service to our community is the kind of thing a corporation could and should do. Meanwhile, we continue to let them reap huge profits while demanding we share costs with them. Corporate welfare at its worst!
Judith Pedersen-Benn
Fleischmann and common ground
Chuck Fleischmann wrote a commentary hoping President Obama can find common ground with the new Republican House and Senate. Unfortunately, he left out all the examples of the Republicans doing the same over the last six years. Maybe the paper wouldn't give him enough column space to give those examples. Or maybe there were few of importance or none to list. Maybe Fleischmann's motto should be "Do as I say, not as I do." He would be more credible if he were to "lead by example."
Bill Hayes
VW now part of Scenic City fabric
I'm writing in response to David Cook's column on the new Volkswagen Welcome Center. While I normally appreciate Mr. Cook's views, I take umbrage at his insistence that companies with a strong marker on our city aren't part of what makes us Chattanooga. Is Moon Pie not Chattanooga? The Choo Choo? Double-Cola? How about the Tennessee Aquarium? Or EPB? They're just companies, after all. How about Griffin's Foot Long Hot Dogs? The Theatre Centre? Lupi's Pizza? The Southern Restaurant? Are they just companies, or do they make up the fabric of Chattanooga? Whether you're a fan of VW or not, drive down any street in this city and watch a Passat pass you by. See the pale blue shirts at every grocery store, restaurant and gas station. Volkswagen, from a seed flung from 4,500 miles away, has taken root in Chattanooga and is now part of who we are. Do I agree with a multimillion dollar welcome center downtown? Maybe not. Could that money be spent on better things? Certainly. But to insist Volkswagen isn't part of what makes Chattanooga what it is, is just unzutreffend.
Avery W. Krouse
Abolish photo ID voting rule
I just watched the movie "Selma." It was excellent. I am from Alabama, and remember it all, plus more. I was there. I also remember last year when I tried to vote on Signal Mountain. I had three pieces of identification, plus several people who knew me. But I did not have a photo ID. I was unable to vote. I personally believe this is a way to keep people from voting when they have a difficult time getting a photo and getting to the polls. Shouldn't we reverse this plan and help people get to the polls, with or without a photo, with proper IDs? Or does this same prejudice still exist? Surely, by now, Americans remember our Constitution guarantees this right to all, and that the Bible says we are all created in God's image. Our nation needs to stand up for what is right!
Marge McNutt, Signal Mountain
Gay marriage is not will of the people
The media says gay marriage is legal in 36 states. What they don't say is it was actually voted on in only three states! Eight state legislatures approved gay marriage, but activist courts overturned "the will of the people" in the other 28. For example: 1.4 million voters in North Carolina approved a state-wide constitutional amendment endorsing marriage as between one man and one woman. But only two judges (of three) declared it unconstitutional. Only two people - who were not elected, but appointed - overrode the will of 1.4 million people. So now same-sex marriage is "legal" in North Carolina (and 27 other states), not because the people voted it in. It was enacted against their expressed will.
Gerald Whitely, Ringgold, Ga.
Give a man a fish updated to 2015
Give a man a fish, and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he will eat for a lifetime 2015 version: Give a man a welfare check, food stamps, cash for his clunker, section 8 housing, Medicaid, 99 weeks of unemployment and free medicine, and he will vote Democratic the rest of his life - even after he's dead.
Joann Whitlow, Harrison
Tours bode well for History Center
Having been on several of Dr. Daryl Black's walking tours, I can say they aren't just informative but a treat. The downtown, Fort Wood and Ninth Street of yesteryear were brought dramatically to life. We stood where Sherman had his headquarters (near The Ice Cream Show) and on the corner where Bessie Smith sang as a young girl. We stood beneath the trestle where Ed Johnson was hanged on the Walnut Street Bridge and were shown the white and colored entrances of what was once the public library. By learning our history, we can take ownership of our past and work to better the future. The depth and breadth of Dr. Black's knowledge is astonishing. And his passion and energy are infectious. If the Center is anything like these tours, it will not only be informative but a place anyone can enjoy. We've come this far. I hope we can see the vision through. It will be a destination we can be proud of.
Glen Wood, Hixson
Why are you voting GOP?
If you are a woman,
If you are not white,
If you did not have health insurance,
If you are not rich,
If you are not Christian,
If you are not straight,
If you are not racist,
If any of these descriptions apply, why are you voting against yourself? Why are you voting for the benefit of someone else? Why are you voting GOP?
Carlton Caruthers, Hixson