Give Social Security back to people
How can people be so gullible? Social Security and Medicare had their own trust fund and were never intended to be part of the federal budget until conservatives decided to "borrow" those funds to balance their budget to fund such things as their disgraceful wars and welfare for the rich.
"Entitlements''? Yes. Most people pay into Social Security for 40 or more years, and with premiums and deductibles, Medicare is not free. We are entitled to a return on those investments. Anything else is theft.
When you fall for their fraudulent propaganda, you are agreeing to take their hard-earned money away from the sick and the elderly and spend it on killing people who are no threat to you, and on wealthy people who use you for their own greed.
We've got troops all over the world. Bring them home to protect our land, stop the tax loopholes and subsidies for big business, pay back the money that was stolen from the rest of us and repeal the War Powers Act.
Whatever happened to common sense? You weep crocodile tears about abortion but will rob your grandparents to kill people in other countries. I just don't get it.
EDNA W. TAYLOR
Social Security could be destroyed
Rep. Paul Ryan's bill would completely destroy Medicare and Social Security. Ninety-eight percent of Republicans support his bill in the House, and of course the Democrats are against it.
Republicans want to issue vouchers for Medicare so that you could get your medical insurance from a private insurance company (the Republican contributors). It would cost retirees at least double or more if you could get covered at all at our age. Then there would be pre-existing conditions. The insurance company would be changing their policies every time you turn around - just like the Part "D" insurers do to the formulary on the Medicare drug plans. Social Security would be turned over to the crooks on Wall Street.
Paul Ryan's plan also called for cuts to Social Security, and you can forget about any cost of living raises.
Oh! yes, during the George Bush Jr.s' (chicken George) administration the formulary was changed, with a lot of items that would trigger more of an inflation increase taken out of the index. That is a big reason that you have not gotten an increase in your Social Security benefits for the past two years! Vote Democratic!
CHARLES M. HICKS JR.
Cohutta, Ga.
County needs home rule
I seldom agree with the liberal editorials in the Chattanooga newspaper. However, Sunday, April 24, was at least approximately half right.
We do need home rule in Hamilton County government. I was a strong supporter of that initiative 21 years ago.
We still need it, and I have been encouraging county leaders to seek a referendum soon.
Most of the rest of the editorial is liberal propaganda and misinformation. Double taxation only exists because city taxpayers want it to do so.
County government exists because it is written into the state Constitution and the city exists because many years ago citizens got together and decided that they wanted more concentrated services than counties then offered and decided to tax themselves to provide those services.
All the complainers and gripers including your liberal editor must do is just simply get the city to surrender its charter and the county would by mandate provide all the services and one tax levy would be charged. It's just that simple.
HAROLD COKER