Public officials miss hearing
Where were our elected officials Thursday night? No one represented McMinn or Bradley County, or Calhoun and Charleston, at the public hearing regarding the proposed new rock quarry in Calhoun.
Residents of the area voiced their concerns regarding pollution of water resources, including residential wells and creeks, streams and the Hiwassee River; increased flooding of residential areas; adverse impact on wetlands and wildlife; and the overall detrimental affects the rock quarry would have on our community and environment.
Where were the representatives from the water companies for the cities of Charleston and Calhoun? It was reported that the quarry’s operation could have significant and potentially costly consequences to those utilities and those citizens served by them.
Why are the good citizens of our community forced to address the issues that our elected officials should be addressing, as representatives of their constituents?
I was greatly impressed by those who provided testimony at the hearing. They presented their concerns eloquently and thoroughly.
It was abundantly clear by the end of the hearing that we, the taxpayers, will end up paying more money from our pockets so someone else can get rich, adding insult to injury with the pollution issue.
GIGI HIBBARD
Charleston, Tenn.
Look to GOP for budget deficits
Everybody has heard the story of the disaster of letting the fox guard the hen house. Everybody that is, but the editor of the Free Press. Specifically, in the Nov. 9 and 10 editorials, he repeated this same old message that has been his constant theme since the Obama administration took office regarding the administration’s deficit spending.
In his Nov. 10 editorials, he said that the new Republican majority should promptly put the brakes on wasteful spending.
These comments are frankly hilarious as the GOP record of guarding the hen house from 1950 through 2008 when the country was under both Democrat and GOP (Fox) presidents are $10 trillion deficits (GOP) versus $2 trillion deficits for Democrat presidents.
In fact, from 2001 through 2008 (Bush’s last budget) there was a $6 trillion deficit, and that is magnified by the fact that when Bush came into office in 2001, the GOP had control of both Congress and the presidency.
So, who would want the Fox (GOP) guarding the country (hen house) with their record of total commitment to a borrow and spend policy. Go to www.treas.gov to view the debt from 1950 to present.
JIM POSTON
Whitwell, Tenn.
(Editor’s Note: We oppose all federal budget deficits – Republican and Democrat. And we want to protect all of the “hens” and “roosters” in our citizens’ hen house.)
Tech vocational school needed
I commend Kenny Smith for making a presentation to the Chattanooga City Council for a first-class centralized technical vocational school.
The City Council unanimously supported his effort for this type of trade school. I hope the County Commission will do likewise.
Practically every day in court I see young people who have left high school because they are discouraged and drop out. This seems to be because their mindset is not on academic subjects, but more on building and construction trades. If trained, these students have the skills to build a house, a car engine or a electrical system.
The Volkswagen plant should alert Chattanooga that we presently don’t have a skilled work force. I believe it would be good to work with Chattanooga State on establishing a trade school adjacent to its campus. The Olan Mills building and the lot beside the campus would work perfectly. I would hope the Hamilton County School Board would approve such a plan.
Opponents may say that in these troubled times it would be too costly. My feeling is, America must and is turning back to industry. This school would pay for itself in Chattanooga year after year, and student after student.
RUSSELL BEAN
Chattanooga
City Judge
Alter tax system to aid the nation
Taxes. That eternal question. Perhaps a simplistic message might be sent to our president and Congress:
Income Tax Rates per Income:
Up to $8,400, 10 percent (with/deductions)
$8,401 to $34,000, 15 percent (with deductions)
$34,001 to $82,400, 25 percent (with deductions)
$82,401 to $172,000, 28 percent (with deductions)
$172,401 to $374,000, 33 percent (with deductions)
$374,001 to $999,999, 35 percent (with deductions)
$1,000,000 and up, 39.67 percent (with deductions) (for you class warfare warriors)
Corporations, 23.45 percent (with deductions) (for you social capitalists)
Or:
$12,000 and up, 13.45 percent (with no deductions – no filing)
Corporations, 15.56 percent (with no deductions)
Or:
23 percent national sales tax on all new products purchased; with a $250 per month cost-of-living monthly rebate from the federal government to every U.S. citizen and legal alien; and no federal income tax, but a balanced budget.
Now is the time for real change, not “feel good” political rhetoric. Get rid of or harshly modify our income tax system, and our economy will grow and business will flock to the U.S.A., purely for the tax rate.
STEVE BECK
Electorate will correct errors
I would like to comment on a letter in the Nov. 16 paper titled ” GOP attacks are misdirected.” I think the electorate has not forgotten which party took control of Congress in 2006 and started to wreck the economy with help from President Bush.
These Democratic leaders refused to act to reform the irresponsible lending practices of Fannie and Freddie since they were filling their campaign chests with money from banks and these GSEs (government sponsored enterprises).
Sens. Obama, Dodd and Clinton and Rep. Barney Frank were at the top of the list for money from Fannie, Freddie, Countrywide and other lenders.
This flood of money continued in the 2008 presidential election with then Sen. Obama receiving the most money from Wall Street in history.
So all this talk about moneyed puppet masters is just more progressive liberal class warfare gibberish.
I don’t think our country is the envy of the world because of our Social Security, Medicare or minimum wage, but because of our freedom, liberty and Constitution.
Unlike the progressives, I think the electorate is intelligent and will correct their mistakes.
ROBERT J. SHELTON
Take time to learn about epilepsy
More than 3 million Americans have epilepsy or a seizure disorder. November is National Epilepsy Awareness Month, and I am one of thousands of volunteers working to raise awareness of this terrible condition.
Epilepsy is common, but many people know little about it or what to do when someone is having a seizure. That’s why the Epilepsy Foundation is asking everyone to take the Get Seizure Smart! quiz in November.
A copy of the quiz is available at www.GetSeizureSmart.org. As someone affected by epilepsy, I strongly encourage everyone to take the quiz. My life, or that of a loved one, may depend upon it.
JOHN MULRY
Student articles are professional
What a joy to read the Valley View articles in the Nov. 15 Chattanooga Times Free Press and to recall the Students Page on Monday morning beginning about 1926.
These articles are so much more professional than were our short reports, book reviews and poems of that era.
Yes, I remember them quite well for I was one of the reporters and still laugh at the byline given me once when I wrote about student banking.
My maiden name was Halie Gass but my penmanship must have been quite poor, for the reporter in charge printed it as Holy Gose. Other students thought that was funny.
May our young people of today keep up their excellent reporting and learning.
HALIE G. FORSTNER