More than good steward needed
State Sen. Todd Gardenhire appears to be short on critical thinking when it comes to Christian values. First of all, shouldering one's Christian responsibility does not relieve you of all the others. Being a good steward of money does not relieve you of your responsibility to care for your neighbor. When Jesus was asked what is the greatest of the commandments, he listed loving your neighbor and loving God at the top.
Secondly, how can he be so confused that he thinks that spending tax dollars on providing health care for poor Tennesseans is a waste of money? He appears to care more about money than people. I would like to know how that is a Christian value.
Of course, he is in good company. His co-conspirator to rob 280,000 Tennesseans of health care, Mike Bell, said he was holding out for a "better deal." How much better deal can you make than getting something free? Does he want the federal government to pay us to take free money? We need to start teaching critical thinking skills in high school.
Mary Caliandro, Ooltewah
Fiscal conservatism root of all evil
Dismantling unions for the purpose of gutting wages, retirement and health insurance benefits was front-runner to the demise of the middle class. All social benefits, including Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare, disability programs, food stamps, and health care, are on the chopping block. Fiscal conservatism has become the euphemism for concentrating wealth in the hands of a few. Current trends are reminiscent of history's despoilers. Cortez, emissary for King Carlos (a self-proclaimed god on earth), wielded weapons of mass destruction, disease and brutal wars for the purpose of stripping wealth from once thriving indigenous populations. (There are many examples, including the English invasion of North America that exacted the same havoc.)
If we continue to emulate history's despoilers and give honor to the vengeful gods of wealth and corruption, we will continue to be responsible for our own demise.
Karen Lee, Dunlap, Tenn.
Public should read more about MS
March is Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month. The disease causes the myelin, which acts as an insulation protecting the nerve fibers, to break down. Myelin has been compared to insulation around electrical wires. If the broken insulation is powering a light, the light may work at times but not at other times, or may blink; so, too, MS. One of the hardest parts of MS is not knowing what course it is going to take from day to day. The adage "a picture is worth a thousand words" may be applied to MS.
When person in a wheelchair states he or she has MS, it is generally accepted; when an outwardly healthy looking person makes that statement, you can almost read the doubt in observers' faces. I have been living with MS for 40 years. My symptoms first appeared in 1975 - numbness and tingling in the limbs, progressing to muscle weakness and then difficulty in coordination. Some days I feel like I walk around with arms and legs of lead. I have primary progressive MS. Some days I can sign my name; on others I can barely hold a pen. I recommend reading more for a better understanding.
Archie Thurman