'Activist judges' rule high court
The latest "Supreme Court ruling" to allow unlimited corporate spending was just another delve into eliminating democracy in these United States! Greedy corporations will now be able to get whomever they want "elected." It was bad enough with "W" being "anointed" by this lifetime appointed gang. I will never forget "stop the count, stop the count," which ended Al Gore from becoming the duly elected president (no 9/11 attacks, no Afghanistan -- Iraq wars, no recession)!
Years ago, I thought judges would actually follow the U.S. Constitution and the rule of law. No more; this gang writes anything to "defend" their decisions.
The main part of this group was appointed by Reagan/Bush/Bush/Cheney. The GOP has always been screaming "activist judges." There has never been such "activist judges" as the group now installed as the "Supreme Court." The GOP politicians are "owned" by the greedy corporations.
Thousands of truths go in and out the ears of so-called "conservatives." But the constant lies from the right-wing "fake new" pundits will spread like wildfire throughout their base as if it were absolute fact!
A recent Republican National Committee presentation shows the use of fear, etc., as effective fundraising tools (as always)!
WALTER M. BENTON
Signal Mountain
Water company ignores problems
What is the water company doing? For months we have known the main pipe on the bluff of Lookout Mountain has been leaking. I was told by the project manager that Tennessee-American Water Co. has known for nine years that the pipe desperately needed to be replaced. Part of East Brow Road is closed for repairs to be made. When the weather got really cold, the "leak" was called the "Lookout Mountain Glacier" because there was so much runoff.
Now I hear that the in-ground box that houses the controls to turn off the water are so corroded they cannot be used. A box with new controls will have to be installed. If the pipe burst tomorrow, there would be no way to prevent a disaster.
Is this the way the water company plans for the future and maintains its necessary equipment? This is the same company that installed a line to Ruby Falls several years ago that completely changed the runoff patterns down the side. Water now streams across Scenic Highway where it never did before.
Meanwhile, our water bill is double for stormwater runoff. Imagine the charge to customers if such long neglect can't be fixed in time!
PEGGY CURTIS LANEY
Lookout Mountain
Cures for a stuck Toyota gas pedal
You have all reported the trouble of having your Toyota gas pedal stick.
But I have yet to hear what the driver could do about it.
Gas pedal sticks? Shift to neutral! If you don't, your brakes may or may not be able to overcome the motor and slow you down.
If you do, your motor will race, but you will be coasting. If you leave your motor race, you will still have power brakes to help you stop at a safe place. If you turn it off, you will have to apply several times the brake pressure at best, and I understand some older vehicles don't have any brakes if the motor is not running.
Brakes fail? Use parking brake! (Used to be called "emergency brake").
My brakes failed once, and I crashed right into a convenience store (literally). I pondered for months what I should have done. Finally, the parking brake came to mind.
If I had thought about this in a second, rather than months, this could have been avoided. Most parking brakes are an independent system that work just as easy if the motor is not on.
DR. TOM HERZOG
Let's repair health care, not replace it
Let's apply the current trend of repair rather than replace to our health care.
We have the elderly covered by Medicare. We have the financially burdened covered by Medicaid. We have the pre-existing conditions covered. It is called Guaranteed Issue. Let's put our resources toward fixing what we have.
It is certainly cheaper and usually better once all the kinks are ironed.
MARGARET SCOTT
Lakesite, Tenn.
Government takes free breakfasts
Did I hear right: the Tennessee government is going to tax the free breakfast offer to hotel guests?
There goes breakfast. Remember back in the late '50s and early '60s when the minimum wage caused all our gas station attendants to lose their jobs. Now we are all self-serve.
Hotels are like any other business. They need a profit. If what I heard is correct, all the retirees who have slaved for the government and employers, who can finally travel, will no longer have a free breakfast. Thanks to our greedy government!
PAULETTE
ANDERSON
Mayor and council part of problem
Just so we understand, the mayor and the Chattanooga City Council provide VW with tax incentives and guaranteed loans, but now they can't balance the city budget and their answer is to raise our property taxes?
Congratulations on being part of the problem.
ANDY GURLEY
Cable supplies music of choice
In regard to the letter about the radio stations not playing good music.
I totally agree. Every time I found a station I liked, they went rock. When I complained to the stations, their attitude has been, turn it off.
We did just that. Our cable company has a package of music and the choice is anything from opera to rap. We play uninterrupted music all day, of our choice. In the car, we play CDs that we enjoy. It is wonderful.
Not everyone in the world enjoys rock/rap music and it is sad that is all we have. We seniors have the buying power, but it seems everything from clothes to music is geared to the very young.
I recommend checking with your cable/satellite company. It is worth every dollar.
ELSIE KEITH
LaFayette, Ga.
Now is the time for health reform
A recent national health care study states that spending on health care increased to $8,047 per person per year and is projected to possibly double by 2019! This is outrageous!
For those who are healthy, it means they (we) are paying enormous amounts for those who have no health care coverage through bloated billing and overcharges on our own care. This can lead to debt for more families and the nation.
We are very close to passing real health care reform, and this is not a problem that we can put off any longer. I am firmly supportive of passing the current health care reform bill and then we will at least have a starting point for further discussion and fine-tuning.
MARCIA MILLER
Dunlap, Tenn.
Make health care a winner for nation
Not only is the health care in our country increasingly unaffordable for many, but we continue to slide downhill compared to the health care available in other countries.
Costs continue to skyrocket and availability diminishes while politicians continue to play " re-elect me" football.
Social Security is a winner. Medicare is a winner. Health care could be a winner, too, if we stop allowing greedy insurance companies to rule the day.
RICHARD MILLER
Dunlap, Tenn.
I share Mr. Benton's rage. It is frustrating that so few of our fellow citizens grasp the real danger to our republic. Thank you for writing. And, thanks to the TFP for providing a forum. I think we have pretty good newspaper.
And I think the only grasp Mr Benton has (and you're probably standing there grasping with him) is the one he has on his head. The one that's firmly planted in his nether region.
There is NO difference between the parties. If you think there is, you're delusional. On the Sunday shows this morning, Gibbs and others repeatedly spin the dem talking points and sob stories. The repubs come right back with theirs.
The real danger to our republic is Washington and those like you two who think it will save you.
Marcia Miller, I am confused at your statement "they(we)are paying enormous amounts for those who have no health care coverage through bloated billing and overcharges on our own care." If you are referring to persons with no health care, if they have no health care, how in heaven's name are we paying for them? I know insurance companies are out of hand but the federal government CANNOT and WILL NOT be the answer.
I wonder what the conservative SC justices think now that they realize that 80% of Americans think their decision was wrong in the extreme, even from Republicans. http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenumbers/2010/02/in-supreme-court-ruling-on-campaign-finance-the-public-dissents.html
The danger is from the stranglehold corporations have on our citizens and the unparalleled influence on our politicians which will only get worse with this boneheaded decision. We have handed the keys to the kingdom to corporate America.
abcnews might as well be owned by the WH, hotdiggity. It, along with the rest of the broadcast TV "news" services, has essentially zero credibility. To expect abcnews to say anything else is wishful thinking on your part. They merely echo what they are told.
Besides, that's all settled law. McShame's [and that other guy's] bid for a single candidate ballot is dead. He NOW has competition and is running scared...as are the rest of the "Progressive" RINOs. Good riddance.
This is from a POLL conducted by abcnews/Washington Post, not their opinion rolando. The poll question was pretty straight forward.
http://abcnews.go.com/images/PollingUnit/1102a6Trend.pdf
Wonder why Fox does not have a poll on this issue? Maybe afraid of the same results?
hotdiggity wrote I wonder what the conservative SC justices think now that they realize that 80% of Americans think their decision was wrong in the extreme, even from Republicans. http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenumbers/2010... The danger is from the stranglehold corporations have on our citizens and the unparalleled influence on our politicians which will only get worse with this boneheaded decision. We have handed the keys to the kingdom to corporate America.
Reply to hotdiggity | On: March 14, 2010 at 9:43 p.m.
Can't add much to your statement, except to call the entire group of them the "Global corporate monopolies." It doesn't matter which retail store we chose, most all the labels indicate that goods are made in some other country. Just a little more: Getting our trade problems with these global corporations monopolies worked out is going to take a long period and we probably have not seen the worst of the effect of our global economy on the US and the European counties, yet. So, where does the profit money go if it is for the global corporations' goods? We know that all of the money we pay for imported goods go to the countries where the goods are manufactured. Would there be a difference in the classification how the trade deficit is measured since the global corporations are receiving the net profits? ---This is exactly why the global corporations' imported goods trade needs to be questioned and it is going to be complicated because I am sure they want it that way. Of course these implanted companies are selling their goods within the low wage countries. Since the Global corporations are using the lower wage labor for manufacturing their goods, even if we were manufacturing the same goods here in the US at a higher cost. how would we be able to get the exports that we need to have for a better balance of our trade deficit Up until this recession the global corporations manufacturing their goods outside the US had the best of two worlds. As the US people continue to be "broke," along with the people in the European countries, what is going to happen to the global corporations' incomes? We, need the jobs here to be able to recover and get out of this recession, but where are the private investors when they have been investing in the lower wage countries?
Well said Carl.
hotdiggity | On: March 16, 2010 at 12:36 a.m.
Thanks hotdiggity. You're doing a great job in keeping the "anti's" from thinking they are not always "right" in their anti opinions against what is good for this Nation.
I did leave out the word "NOT" in the sentence below. Just to make sure my opinion is clear about the trade deficit, I've added it to the sentence.
So, where does the profit money go if it is for the global corporations' goods? We know that "NOT" all of the money we pay for imported goods go to the countries where the goods are manufactured. Would there be a difference in the classification how the trade deficit is measured since the global corporations are receiving the net profits?
"the unparalleled influence on our politicians"
Whose fault is that? Demonize the corporations (no they're not all innocence and light) all you want but the real problem is POLITICIANS. How far would the corps get if the pols didn't have their greedy, grubbing hands out all the time. 99% of them prostitute themselves to the highest bidder. (apologies to the prostitutes of the world) They have absolutely no sense of what their job is supposed to be. Note I said "politicians" - all of them dems and repubs alike so don't start whining about what Bush did in defense of the current foolishness in DC.
Sailor, have to agree with you totally about the politicians. If we think that its bad now with their "greedy, grubbing hands out all the time" just think how bad it's going to get with the recent SC decision influencing them.
Right on, Sailorman. Perhaps limited terms are the answer. Good enough for the president. Why not for Congress and the Supreme Court?
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