EPB power bills shock customers and more letters to the editors

Letters to the Editor
Letters to the Editor

GOP stumps this Republican

I have been a "card-carrying East Tennessee Republican" for many years, who as a kid was inspired by the words of JFK and later volunteered to put up campaign posters for a young lawyer named Howard Baker Jr. I have long since recognized that those parties and those politics have disappeared.

Oh, it has always been a messy process. I learned that long before I studied history and political science in college. I have at times voted for Democrats if I thought they were the better candidate (Jimmy Carter, after the Nixon debacle in '74 for the obvious reasons, and a couple of Tennessee governors, Ned McWherter and Phil Bredesen).

We do not seem to learn anything from history as once again, we are witnessing 1971-1974 all over again, but with different actors. And that is why I do not understand how Republicans on Capitol Hill can continue to provide cover for an out-of-control narcissist who cares nothing (and knows nothing) about the Constitution and will obviously do anything to save his own skin.

John Adams said, "We are a nation of laws, not of men." Well, you could have fooled me!

Tom Colley

Ooltewah

EPB power bills shock customers

We, along with a massive number of our friends, family, neighbors, and Facebook friends, have been in panic mode since Saturday as our latest bills from EPB have begun to arrive. After we got up off the floor from passing out at the fright and shock of the charges, that is.

We understand the weather has been insane. We get that the temperatures and shifts are not normal. What we don't understand is why our bills are double and triple what a normal January is. If you flip the bill over, why are we being charged $3 plus more per kilowatt hour for this January than we were in January 2017? Who can buy food and medications when we have $350-$600 electric bills that are due the second week of February? Is it just Lookout Valley, or is it all customers?

Richard and Thomas Hendricks Smith

Vote for unbought candidate this fall

In response to "War Chest: Candidate has $1 million to campaign," page B1, on Jan. 27:

Judy Walton wrote: "And this is for a race where the competition so far doesn't pose a threat." I was startled by that comment, having just participated in the traffic-stopping Chattanooga Women's March on Jan. 20.

The march's message this year was simple: Get out and vote. If women and enlightened men vote in the District 3 congressional election, the money won't matter. In a democracy, votes win elections, not money.

Dr. Danielle Mitchell is enlightened, thoughtful, experienced and passionate about issues that matter to the average Tennessean. And, most importantly, she is unbought and unbossed.

I'm optimistic that we have an opportunity to elect a representative who listens to Tennesseans and takes their needs and concerns to heart - not a yes-man for a self-absorbed president. This campaign is just beginning.

Katie Larue

Chattanooga

Is Signal survey on grocery legit?

The Keith Corp. is reportedly surveying Signal Mountain residents by telephone on the possibility of adding another grocery store on the mountain.

One of my coworkers was called. When he responded that he didn't live on Signal Mountain, the caller said that was OK, to just take the survey anyway and that it was just a couple of questions. My coworker told me the questions sounded positive, so he replied yes to all of them. He does not live on Signal nor does he ever plan on shopping on Signal.

I have lived on Signal Mountain for more than 20 years, yet I haven't been called. I wonder how many people have been called who don't live on Signal, but their answers are being recorded. I believe this so-called "survey" of Signal Mountain residents is bogus and the Signal Mountain Town Council along with the planning commission should reject it!

Eugenia D. Allderdice

Signal Mountain

What is purpose of Signal's desire?

I have followed with interest the recent activities on Signal Mountain about our school system. Arguably, the schools in this area have the reputation of being the finest in the HCDE.

Now, we see a movement to withdraw these schools from their parent organization and make them a stand-alone education system. What purpose is to be gained? One of the difficulties that would be encountered by the town of Signal Mountain would be the enormous costs of acquiring the physical school properties from HCDE. The multimillions of dollars involved are not on the table. To raise this sum of money, huge tax increases for the residents of the town would be in order. I recently learned some person or group within the group that wishes to make this change has now convinced state Sen. Todd Gardenhire to propose a piece of legislation (http://www.capitol.tn.gov/Bills/110/Bill/SB1755.pdf) that would force any county to sell to any municipality that formed its own school district those properties that it owned at auction prices for presumably pennies on the dollar, thus neatly taking care of Signal Mountain's potential problem.

Steven R. Robinson

Ooltewah

Alcohol is culprit, not pollution

It's amazing that a front page article in the Times Free Press (Jan. 29) would be devoted to minor pollution of water and air that affects possibly a few fish and fungus on buildings and trees.

I'm much more worried about what's going out the front door of Tennessee distilleries than what's going out the back.

What about the effects on human beings of alcohol?

For starters, according to the National Institutes of Health, alcohol caused more than 88,000 deaths a year in the U.S. Worldwide, the number is closer to 3.3 million. Alcohol is a factor in 37 percent of crimes and almost half of all fatal automobile accidents. Alcohol destroys brain cells and marriages. Those are human lives being destroyed.

But the distilleries are run by responsible citizens because they are cleaning up their water and air!

Jeffrey K. Wilson

Ooltewah

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