Show cartoonist that he's wrong
Clay Bennett is an uber-talent with high intelligence and an ax to grind; God bless his heart. His cartoon of Tuesday (March 9), is another "must talk about it."
In the World According to Clay, the right-to-lifer -- pumped up by his and her self-congratulatory convention -- cannot bring himself or herself to recognize much less give to the homeless and needy because, well, they aren't a fetus. And only the life of a fetus, so called, is of concern to them. The rest of the world, including the "former fetus" on the corner can go to h___. In other words, pro-lifers aren't truly pro-life.
Also, while the "former fetus" joke is a cute touch, and who doesn't love alliteration, is this not also saying the life of a homeless or otherwise needy person is worthless, and a snip-snip could have taken care of that future problem long ago?
Is Clay Bennett, former fetus, right, y'all?
Hey! Pro-lifers, pastors, even Christians, come out from behind the closed doors of your God-given intellect and tell Clay Boy why he's wrong and where you're pro-life for all stages of life.
Unless he's right.
GORDON HALL
Reform health care so nation can thrive
Please place partisan and personal comforts aside to remember your responsibility to serve all citizens in this great country. We need health care reform. It is an urgent situation. We are hard-working Americans who contribute to our communities in many ways but cannot afford health insurance.
Please do the right thing for the people and put false loyalties to large insurance companies aside. We cannot thrive as a country without a healthy citizenry and infrastructure that serve citizens over corporate interests. I have a dream.
LAURIE VAUGHEN
Cartoon shows parties' direction
Clay Bennett's cartoon Wednesday (March 10), looked like a good depiction of where the Democrats and President Obama are trying to go, except I did no see any $$$ signs in the plowed ground.
JOHN RICHARDSON
Hixson
Fix health care to benefit all
The time has come for all lawmakers to act without partisanship and come together to create a health care system in which people in all walks of life can afford care and not worry about their premiums going up or being dropped when they need it most.
I urge all citizens to call or write their legislators and voice their concern.
The question is not a Republican or Democratic issue. The issue is a question of humanity.
CHARLIE MILBURN
Consumer bill feeds the sharks
Sen. Bob Corker's support for a consumer bill that exempts payday lenders reminds me of a billboard I once saw on Ashland Terrace promoting the aquarium. It read: "Beware of Sharks." Directly below the sign: a payday lender. Enough said.
CARL GOODMAN
Signal Mountain
Facts rebuke GOP claims of morality
Since their miraculous post-Watergate resurrection in 1980, filling the vacuum created by an ineffectual Carter administration, Republicans have portrayed themselves as the party of morality, integrity and "family values" and the Democrats as immoral, corrupt and incompetent. But the facts don't bear this out.
The Washington scene, regardless of the party in power, is an ongoing soap opera of scandal and corruption, a dubious cost of democratic government. But since 1865 we have experienced only three really major political crises, events that rocked the very foundations of our republic: the Credit Mobilier scandal of Reconstruction times implicating several members of Congress, the Teapot Dome affair and the conviction of Harding's secretary of the Interior and the suicide of a high Justice Department official, and Watergate leading to our only presidential resignation. Nixon's vice president, Spiro Agnew, had already resigned earlier to avoid impeachment.
All three scandals, plus our three worst economic crises of 1893, 1929 and 2008 occurred during Republican administrations.
Morality? Integrity? Competency? Family values? Come on, now!
We're not far enough removed from the recent Bush-Cheney fiasco to view it objectively or even give it a name (how about "Bush Bust?"). And don't forget Enron.
GEORGE B. REED JR.
Rossville
GOP's concern is about power
The GOP's opposition to health care reform is un-American and immoral. Their concern is power! Republicans are afraid it will work and people will flock to the Democrats. We do have the best "undelivered" health care in the world; millions don't have any. Rich people from around the world come here for operations and our poor go outside the country for prescription drugs.
Insurance lobbyists have done so well it's about to bankrupt the country. Republicans are interested in corporations, insurance companies and the rich.
I care about how Tennessee looks nationally, and we looked bad when Sen. Lamar Alexander sounded rather silly at the health care summit and Obama slammed him. Did you hear Alexander say, "Let's continue this in private." I thought Republicans wanted everything in the open. Not Alexander!
The Republicans have a plan which would cover 3 million uninsured Americans. What about the other 27 million? Fifteen million have already been eliminated from consideration. John Lynch said 300 million Americans have health care.
What nonsense! Our population is 304 million! Republicans want to "start over!" Democrats have been starting over for 50 years because of Republican opposition. Is this Republican Christian compassion?
WILBOURNE C. MARKHAM
Walden, Tenn.
No chains at all is best for dogs
Chattanooga, with the help of McKamey Animal Shelter, recently passed an ordinance banning the 24-hour chaining of dogs. This is a great first step.
However, as a friend pointed out, "What's the city going to do, come out and chalk the dogs to make sure they have been moved?" I also wonder what official is going to be wandering around at 3 a.m. checking infringements.
This ordinance looks sort of good on paper, but in reality, it is the tip of the iceberg. Moreover, in lieu of chaining, penning animals is considered acceptable confinement. I do not see much difference in being kept on an 8-foot chain versus being kept in an 8-by-8 pen.
Thank you, Chattanooga, for taking the first step; however, we have quite a way to go. Many cities have laws against chaining, period, which I think is a step in the right direction, along with minimums on fenced-in space.
I'd also like to see a program for people who are not able to keep their dogs due to these constraints that will make security systems/and or fencing more affordable.
ELIZABETH
LONGPHRE
Laurie Vaughan and Charlie Milburn, you are right; we need a reforming of health care in this country. But to imply that it can be done effectively by the power of federal government "and benefit all" is unrealistic. Mr. Milburn do you really believe lawmakers can come together and "create a health care system where people from all walks of life can afford it and not worry about premiums going up or being dropped when they need it most?" We have seen the ineptitude of government run institutions yet we want to empower them with this most vital area of our lives. Oh yeah, there is the word, empower. I see that word used most often in response to Republican and conservative approaches. Guess what, all our lawmakers engage in continual power-brokering. If you think premiums would not go up under government control of health insurance, you just are not looking at the situation very closely. Finally, George Reed Jr., thanks for reminding us once again as we see so often in media places, the big troubles going on now economically are all George W. Bush's and Cheney's fault. Wow, what a new revelation!
Mr. Milburn do you really believe lawmakers can come together and "create a health care system where people from all walks of life can afford it and not worry about premiums going up or being dropped when they need it most?" We have seen the ineptitude of government run institutions yet we want to empower them with this most vital area of our lives. Livn4life | On: March 12, 2010 at 9:21 a.m
Reply: With the conditions caused by the "global economy" effects that we now have, there is not any way the people of "all walks of life" here in the US, can afford many of the conveniences needed for normal living standards. Especially private healthcare insurance, even if they have jobs or do not have jobs. As for the price of the healthcare insurance changing, whither it is this new healthcare reform insurance or the private healthcare, there is not any guarantee for the government plan, but we already know what the unwanted terms of the private healthcare plans are, without any controls on them.
SO, if you are not on medicare already with a supplement, then the only choices you have will be continuing to deal with the private insurances companies or to choose from the competitive reform plan and take your chances if the government reform plan passes. If we can start getting private investments to create some jobs, which is going to take a while, and stop using our money for buying imported goods, the jobs might just start appearing out of thin air.
Friday, March 12, 2010 Letters to the Editors GOP's concern is about power
WILBOURNE C. MARKHAM
You have made some good points and I agree.
There is also Senator Corker to contend with since the two act in concert with the "Party" instead of doing what should be done for the good of the Nation.
As some other, more astute post-er pointed out sir carl, the Medicare/Medicaid program has far more abuse, more corruption, more denial of claims and more loss of physicians than any one of the Big, evil Insurance companies do.
And gee whiz, wouldn't you know it, it is Gov't made and Gov't run. That is run, in the HERE and NOW too, which is the Obama-led Gov't we have-NOW. You are not as intelligent and well researched as you claim/think you are when you refuse to investigate, vet and criticize the Monsters in your own Party, bub. And the Progressive beat goes on-in carlbub's posts and in AD 2010, the year of our Lord.
canaryinthecoalmine | On: March 13, 2010 at noon
My, my, canary, you do like to get up close and personal... You act as if you know me personally? If you do then you know that you cannot insult me with words.
Fraud in the Medicare systems can be stopped easier than the greed of the private insurance companies. As I said you will have your choice to do what you want to do. Why are you trying to deny other people from having their choices?
You might need my "not anybody or any of the conditions are ever perfect," speech again?
It would be good if the people who are spouting out all of their "anti-Obama" false material, were exposed to the differences between a recession and the effect of a deep depression. What would President Obama lose, since his “opponents” have already decided he is only a one "termer"? What I get out of much of the misinformation coming out against President Obama, has nothing to about solving any problems, what is best for the people or the Nation but mostly just anti Obama material. Even if he does do good in getting this Nation out of this recession and correct the many other crisis issues, his opponents will "try" to convince the voters that he has failed just so they can get back into power. For many people it is holding on to the power of control, not doing what is good for the Nation. We seemed to have had a "good dose" of that, especially during the fiasco of the last administration’s eight years.
"upfront and personal"? Upfront, yes. Personal, not at all. I just go by the very words out of your mouth-in your postings.
Here's mine again: You are not as intelligent and well researched as you claim/think you are when you refuse to investigate, vet and criticize the Monsters in your own Party, bub.
So, I repeat, defending Obama as your god who can do no wrong, is not helpful to your arguments or intelligent, as you seem to imply in your ad nauseum posts. Many of us Conservatives here and elsewhere are only too aware of the insanity of Progressive policies in both national parties and have said so many a time. Which you refuse to admit, accept or allude to.
It is not our problem if you are so blinded by lust or 'love' that you cannot even see the corruption in the present Gov't but instead, you have to constantly remind everyone of the PAST one.
Instead you spread more biased misinformation, not grounded in Reality, but in your nefarious, unionized Ideology: Progressivism/Fascism with a capital F.
Canary- It always amuses me that you set back and denounce reform attempts by the current administration but offer no insight into the abuses from insurance companies, providers, etc. You offer no suggestions for change from the abuses of corporations or monied interests, but content yourself with vilifying any attempt to provide a basic necessity like health care for AMERICANS, while wrapping yourself in the flag and Christian ideals.
You congratulate yourself ceaselessly as being informed and knowing some "truth" that is missing from others. You are content with the status quo of health care which is bankrupting its citizens and denying what many feel is a basic responsibility of the government to at least support and protect its citizens from abuse.
You have denounced on several occasions anything you feel assaults your Christian beliefs. Since you consider yourself so informed, perhaps you could provide us with some quotes from the New Testament regarding what Jesus said about the poor and downtrodden. In other words, what would Jesus have to say about providing for these people.
I will be glad to provide these quotes if you have trouble finding them.
canaryinthecoalmine | On: March 13, 2010 at 2:40 p.m.
Reply; Your tactic of personal attacks, stressing your opinion of me will not work. I will continue to speak the truth in my opinion even if you get tried of hearing it. You cannot rewrite history.
The loss of our industrial base has had a negative effect on our economy. This is what is causing the derailment of our jobs to the point of causing us to be in unsustainable service, debt based economy. We need to have trade and we should have trade between the other countries, but I do not consider these global corporations as being countries, or even part of the lower wage countries' businesses. The companies are only looking for a higher profit margin.
What are the Republicans doing to help the country recover out of this recession, other than thinking that opposing everything Obama is doing, will solve all the problems? The Nation was “run into the ground” as if it was deliberately planned, by the last administration. The trouble for the last administration was that they did not quite make it out of office before the "sudden collapse" in 2008, when the recession started in 2007. If the collapse had happened on January 21, 2009, then everything that happened during their terms could have been easily blamed on Obama,
The Great Depression and the New Deal, 1929-1940’s http://iws.ccccd.edu/kwilkison/Online130...
Until we address the effects of the Global Corporations' race to the lowest labor wage countries to have their goods manufactured and then imported back to the US for the people who are losing their jobs to buy, then reversing this policy is necessary for getting our jobs back. Even with the foreign implants, given the “country store” to locate in areas, there is still a large net loss of jobs, wages and benefits for our people. The "Global Corporations' effect" of monopolizing trade is having a negative affect on everything relative to the good of our Nation, from education to the food we eat.
When you speak of small businesses creating many jobs, under normal conditions this is probably true. Most of these small businesses have something to sell. Therefore since these businesses depend on the selling of a service or the selling of goods, depending on people buying these services or their goods, we need to be aware of the conditions existing in this Nation wide recession. Therefore, for the people to be able to use or buy the services or goods of small businesses they need to have the money and now more and more people do not have enough money since the people who lost their jobs have not been able to find another one.
If the "small businesses" don't have enough capital to sustain themselves through these hard times, then they will fail. There is a high % of failures.
What if small businesses started manufacturing some of the goods which are now being imported at competitive prices?
Schmucks: I have the real life experience under socialized/nationalized "medicine"-decades of it-which continues to gnaw at your sorry, experience-less hides. Au contraire, you both are the ones living in an imaginary, Progressive-Left Unionized world that you believe will be your Utopia here. I call you guys on your lies continually. You continually try to shut me up. The American people aren't fooled a bit by any of your cherry-picked "facts" from left-wing media sites and from dishonest, lying Leftist Pols in and out of the White House.
So far, by this reading, just about everything we Conservatives talked/blogged about last year and the year before re: the lies and idiocy of the Progressives, has been proven true. On the other hand, the really laughable, pathetic balderdash you guys continue to spew has been exposed over and over as lies, subterfuge and nothing that will ever work out for the good of humankind.
Canary-March 15, 2010 at 9:55 a.m
Hmmm, I was unaware that the Bible fell under the definition of "left-wing media sites". Canary, please refer to your New Testament for guidance. You profess to hold its tenets dear. Once again, I will help you find references there on charity and helping the poor and oppressed. This may change your mind on the health care program.
That is unless you consider Jesus, who proclaimed fairness and help of the poor and oppressed, as one of those filthy Progressives you continually denounce.
"You continually try to shut me up."
Au contraire my friend. I find you continually amusing and would feel cheated if you were not around to pontificate your far right wing rhetoric. That it comes across as a screeching, delusional denunciation of common sense is unimportant. What IS important is to read the posts of a person who somehow feels he is imbued with a special "truth" and wisdom that no one else can see but himself.
Canary in the Coal Mine? Perhaps you would be better served by understanding the allegory of The Cave by Plato.
Please seek guidance from the New Testament and Plato. Socrates also offers great wisdom. Hey, here is one of his quotes you could possibly find helpful...
"I know nothing except the fact of my ignorance". -Socrates
Gee hotdogboy, thought you were on a "four month vacation"? Must be awful entertaining, or not, because you seem to have plenty of time to throw around your usual trash and lies. Hope you continue to read the Word of the Lord though, all the verses written about Fools and haters of God describe you and your thugs to a tee. Keep having fun on your 'vacation', I'll be here to answer to more of your lying, uninformed posts.
Canary, currently in Florida as plans have been delayed. Will be leaving on the 25th. Thanks for your concern.
I am very familiar with the "Word of the Lord". Since you continually post of your Christian beliefs I simply asked you to comment on the teachings of Jesus in regards to the poor, needy, and the disenfranchised in the context of offering health care to Americans. I basically asked what you think Jesus would do.
Of course you sidestep the issue and are content to resort to calling me a liar and inferring I am a "thug".
Wow, another scintillating retort my friend. Your grasp of debate is truly inspiring. When all else fails, resort to name calling, huh?
“If you can't answer a man's arguments, all is not lost; you can still call him vile names.” -Elbert Hubbard
Matthew 7:5- Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
You know very well hotdogboy that any attempts at debate some of us have made with you and your thugs long ago are utterly useless. You also know that I do not debate with Christian-Haters who use and abuse the Word of the Lord to justify their lies and distortions. You do not have 'open eyes', you quote out of context and you are ignorant of the 'Context'.
We also have answered many times your (and others who post here) baiting and useless questions re: the Bible and healthcare. Your responses have been to misquote, lie, twist our words and put words in our mouths of your own liking. Then we're accused of all kinds of vile things. You need to look up the definition of the word 'hypocrite'. There you will find your picture.
Don't get caught in one of His hurricanes now. Might put your knickers in a bit of a twist bub.
PS: I don't call you or anyone here "vile names". Just perfectly, descriptive adjectives that suit your personalities to a tee. You need to vet and call out the foul mouths on your side, you know, your Bub-pals.
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