Film festival offers 'priceless' film experiences at bargain price
Kudos to Andy Johns and his board and volunteers for the hugely successful fifth annual Lookout Wild Film Festival, which was held at the Memorial Auditorium's Community Theatre Jan. 19-22.
My husband and I have attended for the last four years, and at the conclusion of each festival, we can't wait till the next January to get our "fix." All of the independent films have inspired us to meet challenges, to appreciate the creativity and tenacity of the people involved in the films, to view amazing photography, to enjoy our beautiful Earth, and to share these wonderful experiences with other nature, travel and recreation lovers.
Thirteen hours of films for $17 is an amazing bargain, but the content and thrill of the selections are priceless.
Jeanne Brice
Early education key to success
As the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce board chairman and an impassioned education advocate, I firmly believe the key to educational success begins with early learning.
I applaud organizations like United Way of Greater Chattanooga for taking actions that align with one of the 10 urgent strategies laid out by the Chattanooga 2.0 report last year, which is to create an Early Learning Coalition (Network).
With more than 2,500 families falling into the child care gap in Hamilton County each year, we must provide access to an early childhood education for every child to start the essential learning process.
The Chattanooga City Council and United Way are providing $100,000 worth of scholarships to working class families for early learning programs, such as preschools and child care providers.
I am proud that we are starting the new year with forward progress. In 2017, the city is working with local partners to take action, and I urge our community to join us by supporting the Chattanooga 2.0 movement and sharing your story at chatt2.org.
We are not only talking the talk, but walking the walk.
Mike Sarvis
Illegal votes? Why, investigate!
I keep hearing that President Donald Trump and his followers constantly refer to the 2.5 to 3.5 million "illegal votes" in the election. Is it possible that these are the votes that won the election for him?
Perhaps he should appoint a blue-ribbon committee to investigate discrepancies. Maybe the results would be different this time.
Stanley R. Smith
No guarantee to insurance access
It is time to correct a misconception. There is a very big difference between obtaining health insurance and attaining health care.
Obamacare merely promised affordable health insurance - not health care. After rate increases, outrageous deductibles, failing exchanges, insurance company withdrawals, and medical provider refusals, this ill-conceived legislation proved a failure.
While the Obama administration could claim that more people had health insurance under this legislation, they could not demonstrate that access to health care was improved as a result.
Our founding documents define rights as life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Health care is not on that list. Health care is important to our society. Health insurance can be an important vehicle to gain access to health care. But it must be affordable and acceptable to the medical community. Give the free market a chance to achieve this end.
Mike Budnick
Winchester, Tenn.
No-shows should lose their jobs
To all voters: Any U.S. senator or congressman who refused to attend President Trump's Inaugural address should be removed from office.
If this doesn't happen, the next time they run for office, they should be voted out. They don't deserve to represent our country or you.
Harry Arnold
Trump 'fact check' needed
Given the mendacity of our new president, I would like to suggest that the Times Free Press set up a Trump Fact Check box on its front page, every single day. This would be a valuable public service.
So far, during the transition, as well as his first few days in office, he and his teammates have issued lie after lie about nearly every topic they have addressed.
These include his apparent belief that there were millions of votes by illegal immigrants, despite no documented evidence, to well-documented evidence about the size of the turnout to the inauguration.
It's amusing to see his press secretary twist himself in knots trying to defend all of this.
Brian Hamilton
'Never Trump' labels no issue
To Hillary Clinton, I am deplorable. To [TFP cartoonist] Clay Bennett, I am a "sucker."
Who I really am is an American citizen concerned with the worsening direction of our country. During the presidential campaign, President Obama stated that his name was not on the ballot, but his policies were.
That statement, plus the status quo of the Washington establishment, made me realize that a nonpolitician-outsider was needed to affect real change for the better in Washington.
I believed God was sending America that needed change agent in the person of Donald J. Trump.
I pray President Trump succeeds in restoring greatness and world respect to our country. I will then proudly wear any label or name that Clay Bennett or any other "never-Trumper" may call me.
Robert Reno
Ooltewah
Radical protesters here to stay
I wonder if anyone else saw the irony in a recent letter to the editor when the writer boasted "whether they like it or not, they (meaning the thousands of ignorant and radical protesters) are going to get to watch eight years of economic growth, a reformed immigration system, a clamp down on immoral behavior . "
Clamp down on immoral behavior? When we have probably the most ethically and morally bankrupt president in history?
I was one of those thousands of "ignorant and radical protesters." Trust me, we aren't ignorant, but I will give you radical if that means exercising our right to free speech and peaceful assembly. We had to watch and listen to crowds of barking Trump supporters for 17 months.
It's your turn. Get used it. We're not going away.
Rebecca Rochat
Sen. Alexander should listen up
Sen. Lamar Alexander's constituents have spoken, and he isn't listening. As a parent of two school-age children, I care deeply about the state of education in our nation.
I listened to the entire confirmation hearing of Betsy DeVos. She has never been a school administrator, an educator or a parent of a public school student. Her voucher/charter program in Detroit has had dismal results. Her responses prove she is unqualified to run the U.S. Department of Education.
In a recent Facebook post, Alexander blamed opposition to DeVos on partisan politics. This is unfair and untrue. Seven hours after he posted, there were more than 2,500 comments to his post, from both sides of the aisle. While I didn't read them all, almost every one I read opposed DeVos.
We need thoughtful leadership from someone who knows and values public school education and the federal laws that govern our educational system.
The only one playing partisan politics is Alexander. He needs to listen, and answer, to the people who elected him to the office he holds, not the president.
Sara Wood