Leaves of three, let it be and other letters to the editors

Megan McGuiggan finds a tree to do her tree bark rubbing in this file photo. Unfortunately, she didn't see the poison ivy sign until it was too late.
Megan McGuiggan finds a tree to do her tree bark rubbing in this file photo. Unfortunately, she didn't see the poison ivy sign until it was too late.

Leaves of three, let it be

It would be helpful this time of year if you had some pictures of poison ivy leaves in your paper just to remind some folks what it looks like. Until it bites you, one could forget what pain it can bring. Just a thought.

Jack Harvey, Hixson

U.S.-China emission goals misstated

I read the May 6 Chattanooga Times editorial about "Extinction," and I must confess my continuing admiration at the amount of misinformation that can be crunched into two small columns of print. Let's just take your statement describing President Obama's climate treaty with China. Can you direct me to a site where such a treaty may be examined? Or am I not playing fair here since you will ultimately have to conclude, as did I, that no such treaty exists? Can we agree that a treaty requires a signed, formalized agreement between the leaders of two countries? And can we agree further, that in the case of the United States, ratification by two-thirds of the U.S. Senate is needed? Now let's look at what you describe as "President Obama's treaty with China." Was it a signed, documented agreement? Presented to the U.S. Senate for ratification? Isn't the answer to both questions a resounding ... no? Is it not true that what you describe as a "treaty" was nothing more than a joint news conference held by two leaders espousing certain CO2 emissions goals?

John R. Brown, Ooltewah

Hillary should welcome FBI investigation

Once again we find the Clinton family at the center of a major controversy. Consider this: Hillary is elected president in 2016, and evidence surfaces that a foreign donor to the Clinton Global Initiative received a quid pro quo from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton while she served in that post. To prevent this threat, Congress should demand that the FBI open an investigation to determine if laws have been broken. If the investigation proves no laws were broken, Americans can rest assured that we won't be faced with a crisis such as we saw with Bill Clinton. If, as the Clintons claim, "there is not a shred of evidence," they should welcome an investigation to clear the air of any doubts. Conceivably this could even help her election to the office of president. Americans have the right to be presented with a choice of candidates who are free of corruption. There is plenty of time to resolve this before the election. We should all call on our elected officials to make this right.

Kent Fosha, LaFayette, Ga.

Volunteers saluted for critical service

I appreciate so much the work of volunteers who give of their time for those who need help. The photo of the young lady receiving dental work on the front page of the May 9 Times Free Press brought to mind a situation some years ago. I had a student who had one of the worst cases of dental neglect I had ever seen. I tried to get volunteer dental care for her to no avail. I felt so bad for her. Fortunately, a local agency was able to help. Thank you again.

Margie Merritt, Ringgold, Ga.

City should rethink "right on red" limits

I would like to offer a complaint about the new traffic restrictions on turning right on red from Forest Avenue onto Frazier Avenue and from Frazier onto Forest in North Chattanooga. Turning right has always been an option and, to my knowledge, there have not been problems with that option. It helps to keep traffic moving from Forest onto Frazier and vice versa. In addition to the new turning right restrictions, the light at Forest and Frazier (entering Frazier from Forest) stays green less than 10 seconds and, as a result, traffic tends to back up on Forest. This is a problem considering the new apartment complex at the bottom of Forest and several new houses going up on Forest. Is this restriction on turning right on red really necessary? I think drivers are competent enough to make the stop on red before proceeding on Forest even with pedestrians crossing street and a green arrow to turn left onto Forest from Frazier. I would ask city traffic planners to reconsider this new restriction and free up turning right on red, which is legal almost everywhere else.

Rebecca Rochat

Freeze property taxes for the elderly first

Why was the property tax not frozen when county commissioners were given the ability to freeze these taxes for elderly homeowners? Why was the money wasted just to put the issue on the ballot? The Hamilton County Schools superintendent makes a lot of money and doesn't mind a property tax increase. Tax the old to death.

Rex Rogers, East Ridge

Lawmakers should give up health insurance

The collective IQ of Tennessee legislators is equivalent to the IQ of a bag of hammers. Do they really believe that taxpayer money they spend on themselves for health care is part of their medical record and thus protected by HIPPA laws? That level of ignorance is astounding even for a Tennessee legislator. However, their panic about citizens having this information is entirely understandable. These arrogant sycophants of Beacon Center, ALEC and Americans for Prosperity voted to prevent 280,000 poor Tennesseans from getting health care. This care would have cost the state taxpayer nothing. That's right, nada, zilch, zero. While they were denying medical care for needy Tennesseans, they were running up a tab of nearly $6 million dollars for a Cadillac plan for themselves. These pampered princes of the Tennessee General Assembly obviously value their own health more than the health of their constituents. The message is clear: Their life and well-being matter but the common man or woman in Tennessee does not. They should be required to surrender their state-provided health insurance until all of their constituents have access to health care.

Terry Stulce, Ooltewah

Support Rick Smith, support public schools

Jay Greeson, your A2 columnist, is absolutely wrong. Cutting back on Rick Smith's tax request is shortsighted. Smith's proposal ought to be acted on with positive enthusiasm by our County Commission. Not doing so will be a costly mistake. It is time for us to make the investment in the future without the nonsensical posturing we have now come to expect of our elected officials. Look what's going on around Hamilton County. VW is investing in its future. Amazon has arrived with their eye on the future. We are seeing industry support these ventures here and on the doorstep of beginning operation. CBL is actively investing real money in its assets. What is it that our county commissioners don't get? Our school system needs are so immediate that we cannot stand idly by and do less than any alert businessman would do. Schools determine the adequacy of a skilled workforce, which many of our employers today suggest is inadequate. Our education system is an investment and cannot be treated only as a budget line.

Irv Ginsburg

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