Bill should stay out of Hillary’s way
I have been seeing all of the jokes and letters about Hillary Clinton. Well, I will put in my two cents, if I may. William (Bill) had his turn, now he should stay out of her business. She is a smart, intelligent lady who helped seniors and children better than anyone. I am for her and hope a lot of people will think.
Bertie Branam Dayton, Tenn.
Cartoon misleads on train accident
Friday’s supposed cartoon showing the Amtrak is wrong for so many reasons. First and foremost, to the families of those killed and injured, to insinuate that their loved ones were harmed because of a lack of funding has yet to be proven and never will. The NTSB has stated that the set of tracks recently had been upgraded to newest standards, that the rails are inspected daily by Amtrak technicians, that they have found no problems with the track, the locomotive, the signals, and that the train was running on time. The proposed computerized system to take over the train from the engineer in case of an emergency has been funded and Amtrak is under directions by Congress to have it installed. Mr. Bennett, be more specific about how the supposed lack of funding caused this accident. Should the 50 mph curve been redesigned to a 100 mph curve? If so, why, and at what cost? And by the way, the train was entering a curve to the left, and went off the tracks to the right — just to be factual.
Jack Callahan, Cleveland, Tenn.
HCEA urges support for schools vision
Your newspaper has covered the story of Rick Smith’s journey around our community to present his vision for our school system. In every article you imply that he is demanding a property tax hike. He is not demanding a tax hike; he does reference a cost analysis — if his vision were funded with property taxes. The vision is what our children need to be successful in the 21st century. Our students need foreign language from elementary through high school. These students are living in a global society, yet we are preparing them as if East Tennessee is their world. Art and music are not just for fun. These disciplines teach creative thinking. The mayor and the commissioners were elected to face challenges and resolve them — not just postpone the issue forever or pass the “buck” about lack of state funding. To those who say they cannot afford the vision, I say how can we afford not to? The superintendent has triggered an awareness about the seriousness of this issue. The community must respond. The Hamilton County Education Association supports the vision as the right thing to do for our children. Things of value are never cheap.
Sandy Hughes, HCEA President
Poll wrong, lawmakers right
A recent poll claims that the majority wants more forced government insurance, aka Insure Tennessee. May I remind these losers that this nation is not a democracy, that getting a majority to do this or that still won’t change anything unless the thing desired is constitutional? Forced purchase of any products is against the spirit, precept and law of our Constitution, though the majority of the people poll and scream for its passage. I believe an investigation into the motives of lobbyists for this measure will bring prosecution. The Tennessee legislature acted right in spite of dictatorial pressure from the governor.
June Griffin, Dayton, Tenn.