Promote current officer to be chief
If the Chattanooga City Council doesn’t approve Chief Freeman Cooper’s contract on March 31, there’s another option: Promote an officer of the rank of lieutenant or captain to the chief of police who is currently working within the Chattanooga Police Department. Find someone who is not at his or her 25-year date of retirement. This would save the taxpayers a lot of money.
If Hamilton County Sheriff Jim Hammond takes it over on this contract, there are two separate pension plans, one for the Sheriff’s Department and one for the Chattanooga Fire and Police Department.
The Sheriff’s Department has the state TCRS plan, which after 30 years only pays 49 percent of a deputy’s highest three years.
The Chattanooga Fire and Police pension plan pays 68 and three quarters percent of the officer’s highest three years, and you can retire after 25 years.
If you stay to 28 years, you get the DROP benefit, a large amount of money. The sheriff’s plan on retirement isn’t as good as the city’s plan. Both, however, pay for insurance after you retire.
It appears Mayor Littlefield wants metro government and wants to consolidate the two law enforcement agencies and doesn’t feel any of his officers are qualified to be chief of police.
SGT. RALPH BROWN
Retired
Chattanooga
Police Department
Flintstone, Ga.
Good education must be priority
As a city, Chattanoogans have encouraged vibrant growth in many areas, yet we’ve remained passive in respect to our public school system.
Just as we think the inflexible attitude of “this is how it is because this is how it’s always been,” we see it re-emerge in some of our school board members, whom we’ve been neglectful enough to elect and whom we’ve allowed to remain in office. Watching the confused antics of (school board member) Rhonda Thurman is concerning – I believe Chattanooga is better than this.
If we don’t address our budget shortfalls, failing schools and the school board members who don’t grasp the fundamentals of education, this city will continue to widen the gap between the “haves” and the “have nots.”
We will not become a great city until we make good public education a priority for all children, in every school in Hamilton County. Leadership and comprehension of the issues that make great schools – not political agendas and ego grandstanding – are the things that make an effective school board and, in turn, a better school system.
I challenge all Chattanoogans to take the upcoming school board election seriously.
CATHERINE MARTIN
Good Samaritans come to the recue
Recently I blacked out briefly and fell to the ground at the Bi-Lo store in Fort Oglethorpe. From the time of my fall until I was taken by ambulance to Memorial Hospital, I was comforted and assisted by strangers I had never met and probably will never know. Not only did a woman shopper and the Bi-Lo store manager stay with me and comfort me, but a pharmacy employee went above and beyond the call of duty to assist my daughter in locating me and allowing her to provide important information about my needs.
As I recover in the hospital, I just wanted those who stopped to help to know how much I appreciate them.
MARGARET G.
MCCONNELL
Rossville
Most will oppose nation’s direction
This letter is in response to a letter printed March 24. That letter, in an attempt at humor (I hope), explained what 49 percent of the people are doing to 51 percent of those opposing the original 49 percent.
I understand this abstract clearly. However, I must offer the following in response: According to recent polls (plus or minus 3 percent error), 26 percent of the people think that 38 percent of the people are in favor, while 56 percent of the people are in favor of just the opposite. The other 131/2 percent have no opinion at this time.
Of one thing I am 98 percent certain of, and that is in a few short years, a large majority of the people are going to be thoroughly (opposed to) what is happening in our country.
RON CREEK
‘Pure religion’ fulfills the law
Early records identify Christianity’s goal as peace through unity. A universal priesthood established self-governed communities without separate priesthood or prescribed dogma. Justin Martyr wrote: “We who valued above all things the acquisition of wealth and possessions, now bring what we have into a common stock, and communicate to every one in need; we who hated and destroyed, … now … live familiarly …”
Peter Chelchicky, 15th century Moravian reformer, likened church and state to great whales that destroy the net of faith and allow common people to perish. Moravian reformers established Europe’s first democratic communities.
“Pure religion” freed our ancestors from aristocratic and religious tyranny. Opposed by established religions and aristocrats, a universal priesthood established history’s first limited government with freedom of conscience.
When wealth caused the people to leave their first love, dogma repressed conscience. Church and state destroyed faith that united the nation. Mammon ruled: Chaos reigned!
History is a tale of two churches. America is one man whose members are indivisibly united by constitutional law. Tutorial religions create division and wars. “Pure religion” fulfills the law and inherits the Promised Land. Common sense dictates that we will either grow up to govern ourselves with wisdom or execute America.
RICHARD D. VICKREY