Elect Oglesby as new City Council member
Please get out and vote in the Chattanooga City Council runoff election between Erskine Ogelsby and incumbent Chris Anderson.
As a district resident, I can attest to how much change is needed. We have been plagued by a councilman who would rather serve his own interests than ours. Forget trying to contact him through official channels; he is always too busy. When confronted, it is always a lack of staff. He spends considerable time attacking people and starting wars on social media. His behavior is completely unbecoming for a representative of our district, much less the City Council.
If you have a concern that does not match his priorities? Good luck. If he would spend less time blaming his predecessor and more time taking responsibility for his actions, he might not be in the runoff. He is in the pocket of Green Tech and completely threw St. Elmo under the bus when it came time to stop CARTA from cutting our bus service.
We need a man who will represent all of the concerns of all residents with dignity and respect. That man is Erskine Ogelsby. Please vote for him and help restore some credibility in District 7.
Robyn Garner
Mid-lifers would face higher costs
Lawmakers in Washington, D.C., are considering a bill that would drive up health care costs by thousands of dollars a year for Tennesseans ages 50 to 64. Some have called it an “age tax,” but regardless of the label, it threatens to cut people’s access to care at a time of life when it is increasingly needed.
Even worse, the American Health Care Act imposes a double whammy on older consumers who are still too young for Medicare. It not only would allow insurers to charge them five times what other people pay, it also would reduce subsidies that help many pay for the insurance they have now.
This bill puts a disproportionate cost burden on older adults, hiking their premiums to as much as $8,400 more per year for the same coverage we have now. Congress should be working to reduce skyrocketing health care and prescription drug costs, especially for older Americans.
AARP opposes the American Health Care Act because it increases costs and risks for older Americans. If you agree, contact your member of Congress and make sure your voice is heard.
Bettye Wells
Give Donald Trump a chance as president
Times Editorial page editor: I am a senior citizen and still extremely active. I have faithfully subscribed to and read the Chattanooga Times Free Press all of my life until a few years ago. I discontinued in part due to the partisan pettiness that is exhibited on the editorial page each day.
In the next four years, we may face serious confrontations with the foreign nations that hate us. We may also face very serious internal conflict with each other. I have never seen our nation so at odds with each other. I sense a mood of confrontation in our streets.
President Trump is a man with some extraordinary talents. Hopefully he will use them for the benefit of our nation. He is also a flawed man. Who among us does not have flaws? Let’s give him a chance.
Derryl Harkleroad
Rock Spring, Ga.