TSPLOST needed for Walker roads
On Nov. 7, 2017, the public will vote on a single-county Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (TSPLOST). The sales tax increase will be 1 percent and will run for five years. It will begin on April 1, 2018, and sunset on March 31, 2023.
This tax will generate about $3 million a year. Walker County will use TSPLOST money to match a state grant known as LMIG or Local Maintenance Improvement Grant, which will bring close to $1 million in additional money for roads each year.
There are 674 miles of county roads, and it currently costs about $100,000 to resurface a mile. Along with the paving, five bridges need repair. School buses are not even allowed to cross these bridges because of the danger.
The county will not have money for two years to pave roads without the TSPLOST. Walker County will not borrow bond money for roads. We will pay as we go.
Therefore, I agree with the 1 percent sales tax increase and am asking that each of you support this increase by voting in favor of TSPLOST on Nov. 7.
Edward Bruce, Flintstone, Ga.
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Make pot legal for its advantages
Tennessee is ground zero for prescription pills and pharmaceuticals. The state has improved its tracking methods and controlled substance registry to monitor and prevent doctor shopping attempts. Politicians' pockets are filled deep with donations for their campaigns from pharma-corporations and industries.
Regardless of laws, prescription pills, heroin and dangerous synthetic opioids are running rampant on our streets and in our homes. We have lost friends and family members. Families are torn apart from addiction and the impacts of it.
Tennessee needs to legalize marijuana and end the failed prohibition. We have hundreds of thousands to millions of people who would benefit from safe access to a drug safer than others. There have been countless bills to regulate, tax and decriminalize marijuana that have failed to pass subcommittees and have been frowned upon by ruling politicians in the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Several states already have legalized it. Is the state that desperate and greedy to continue pursuing and prosecuting its citizens for an herb safer then anything and with proven medical advantages?
It's time to move forward with a common-sense drug policy and reform now.
Arron Lee Smith, Cleveland