Not all believe in same thing
I have read many articles pertaining to a prayer at Soddy-Daisy High School football games. As a former graduate of SDHS, I see nothing wrong with these prayers, but I see how it may offend someone.
However, if one must argue that it is a violation of separation of church and state, then you must examine all the things that could be a violation of church and state such as an on/off duty police officer using a publicly funded police car to direct church traffic or perhaps our own pledge of allegiance to this great country. If there is only one thing someone can learn from these prayers, it would be the act of exposing themselves to beliefs other than their own.
The biggest problem with today’s society is diversity; everyone feels happy in their tiny bubble and won’t even attempt to experience other people’s beliefs.
A quote I heard once said, “Nobody likes change except a wet baby.” Change is inevitable. I don’t expect the prayer band to change, but I would hope that our society can grow from this and learn that our world is different and not everyone believes in the same thing.
JOHN HIXSON
Soddy-Daisy
Fraternity helps with toy collection
Holiday shopping is in the air, and there are several opportunities to help out the children in the Chattanooga area. This year, the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity, Delta Epsilon Chapter of UTC, will be hosting a toy drive at its house, 1117 E. 11th St., called Pikes for Tikes, which will be supporting Toys for Tots. Especially in tough financial times, it is hard to do all we would like for charities; however, you may be able to donate a toy or two.
This is a great opportunity to help out. Stop by the fraternity house, Wednesday, Nov. 17- Friday, Nov. 19 from 4 to 9 p.m. and drop off new, unwrapped gifts. Help the gentlemen of Pi Kappa Alpha warm the smiles of many children during the winter season.
ASHLEY PADGETT
Get junk food out of schools
As a retired general, I am troubled this Veterans Day by Defense Department estimates that military service is now out of reach for 75 percent of young Americans. Far too many drop out or commit crimes, and one in four is too overweight to enlist. In Tennessee alone, 173,900 18- to 24-year-olds were overweight or obese in 2008.
While no single action will resolve the obesity issue, a comprehensive overhaul of our school nutrition programs is an excellent place to start. The school setting is critical for shaping the lifelong eating and exercise habits of our youth. Research shows that as much as 40 percent of a child’s daily caloric intake occurs at school.
Legislation now before Congress would get the junk food out of schools, promote nutrition education and increase access to quality nutrition programs. That’s why I am joining more than 100 retired generals and admirals in calling on Rep. Zach Wamp and his colleagues in the House of Representatives to support final passage of a child nutrition reauthorization bill as a matter of national security. Congress should move quickly to pass child nutrition legislation when it returns to Washington later this month.
NORMAN R. SEIP
Lt. Gen. (Ret.) USAF
Executive
Advisory Council
Mission: Readiness
Washington, D.C.
Obama’s results remarkable so far
Tea party-conservative-Libertarian attacks notwithstanding, President Obama has performed remarkably well considering he inherited an economy in free fall plus insoluble crises in Iraq, Afghanistan and Israel-Palestine.
Politicians get little credit for preventing further catastrophes and falling into the abyss. And employment is the last measurement to recover after an economic crisis.
President Obama restored the confidence of our traditional allies, rescued the automotive and financial industries from bankruptcy (GM has actually shown a profit for two quarters), instituted spending cuts in many federal agencies, began troop withdrawal from Iraq, limited lobbyists’ access to the White House, began restoring our infrastructure after decades of neglect, closed off-shore tax havens and gained access to Swiss bank account records of criminals and tax cheaters, curtailed tax advantages for corporations that outsource, began allowing Medicare to negotiate with drug manufacturers for lower prices, phased out the F-22 and other outdated weapons systems – I could go on.
Obama’s new health care system, while not perfect, is a start. If we don’t gain control of skyrocketing health-care costs soon, we can forget everything else.
It took eight years of bad decisions, mismanagement and outright corruption to create the present mess. Give our president time.
GEORGE B. REED JR.
Rossville
Elected leaders aren’t concerned
During a recent visit to the Apple Barn for apples and pastries, I noticed a jar by the cash register requesting donations for the baker’s husband who has developed cancer and has no insurance. As I put some money in, I just had to ask again, this is health care in America? And we just elected some fools who want to repeal what health care reform we were able to pass? Really, folks, let’s think about this. The representatives and senators who will wrestle this issue have health care provided by the federal government. My daughter works for the federal government, and I know the kind of health care benefits they have. Anyone would love to have what they have.
Do you think for a minute that they are concerned about the little people, the people with no voice, the people who have cancer and no insurance? No, they are concerned about the big businesses who got them to office, the corporations who want to keep their profit margins high.
And I am sick of hearing about the government taking “our money.” So maybe you’d like to keep “your money” and give up roads and schools, Social Security, other government services “your money” provides.
KATE STULCE
Ooltewah
Blame drivers on Hunter Road
There is nothing wrong with Hunter Road except the people who drive on it. Yes, it is rather curvy. Hence the lower speed limit that no one abides by. If the world were full of perfectly straight and extra wide roads, would there be fewer accidents? No, because the easier we make it for people to drive faster, they will. Hunter Road is only dangerous because drivers don’t obey the speed limit. So let’s place blame where it belongs.
CATHY BISSELL
Hunter Road Resident
Surpluses came from GOP Congress
Federal spending bills are written in, and must come out of, the House of Representatives and the Senate. The president may sign or veto them. When the president and both houses of Congress are in the same party (as they’ve been for the last two years), the president may ask for and get spending bills with provisions in them he wants.
It seems the editors at the Chattanooga Times are confused, since they frequently write things like “Bush took office on the heels of three consecutive years of budget surpluses by the Clinton administration.” After the elections of 1994, Republicans had comfortable majorities in both the House and Senate for the last six years of the Clinton presidency. Therefore, it’s absurd to credit the Clinton administration for the budget surpluses, since all he did was sign the bills that came out of the Republican-controlled Congress.
Furthermore, let’s not forget that Democrats have been in charge of both houses of Congress for the last four years. So all of the rhetoric about how all of our problems are Bush’s fault is odd, since no one can point out any Democratic bills he vetoed during his last two years that would have had any effect on the economy.
LARRY MENDIZABAL
Ooltewah