Story subject gives a 'priceless gift'

LETTERS TO THE EDITORS

Story subject gives a 'priceless gift'

Rarely, does a person have the ability to give anyone a "priceless gift." Mr. Robert Brooks did achieve that elusive feat when he told his brutally honest story in Sunday's Chattanooga Times Free Press (Dec. 11), "Road to healing."

Mr. Brooks may never know how many people he has gifted. It took a tremendous amount of courage and kindness for Mr. Brooks "to reach out to others."

Our prayer is that Mr. Brooks will persevere in his efforts to help himself and others.

"I thank God for my handicaps, for, through them, I have found myself, my work, my God." -- Helen Keller.

MARTHA STONE

Provide numbers for poll results

Respectfully, the poll results you print each day on the front page of the paper would more accurately reflect the relevance and importance of the questions you pose to your readers if you printed the number of votes that are cast. Merely printing the percentages pro and con on a question doesn't mean much if the number of respondents isn't provided.

MIKE CALLAWAY

Gingrich verbosity makes him drunk

In reference to Newt Gingrich:

"He is intoxicated by the exuberance of his own verbosity."

-- B. Disraeli

BRUCE PALMER

Bosses story not necessary

On Dec. 21 a lead story in our Chattanooga Times Free Press Metro section announces "2 locals named worst bosses."

How disturbing it is to me that four days before Christmas, or any day of the year for that matter, the citizens of this fine community are led to focus on such negative and immaterial subject. Surely the residents of Chattanooga and the surrounding areas would rather read about the great things that are happening here, and the hard-working, generous folks who make these great things happen.

MADDIN COREY

Salaries not always best choice to cut

It appears that Erlanger's Jim Brexler was most likely aware of the possibility of being fired so he chose instead to retire. I see no need to pay him a severance pay.

It's a good thing to ask employees to use annual leave days. I don't agree with asking employees to take leave time or early retirement. Many lower-level employees cannot afford to take much time off, especially in this economic time. The eventual layoff and buyouts of employees also hurt the employee pool. When the situation changes, you usually cannot find these same individuals, and many times they're those with the most seniority and job knowledge.

Further, I would suggest the agreement with Hutcheson Hospital be terminated as soon as possible. It's Georgia's problem to keep it solvent.

Hard times call for drastic measures. I may not have the big picture, but just because salaries are the biggest and easiest expense to cut does not make it the best choice. Why not cut salaries of the top administrators. There are many and would have a much greater impact.

BEN KEIM

Shoppers aid collection of gifts

On behalf of the staff at Home Instead Senior Care, I would like to thank everyone who helped with this year's very successful "Be a Santa to a Senior" program.

With support from generous shoppers, our merchants which were our wonderful Walgreen's stores around the area and our non-profit partners such as Widow's Harvest and Partnership for Families, we were able to collect more than 475 gifts for local seniors who otherwise might have been overlooked this holiday season.

We also thank the many volunteers who shared their time to collect, wrap and deliver the gifts to 475 area seniors who continue to struggle during these tough economic times.

Thanks to all those who helped us brighten the holidays for our local seniors and truly making a difference in our community.

LISA K. LeGRAND-CROFT

Service Care Specialist

Home Instead Senior Care

Don't protect just one business area

The subject of selling wine in grocery stores has arisen again.

I am not writing this because I support the sale of wine in grocery stores, but for the reason of why should local liquor store owners be protected?

Where was the protection for every other type of small business when Walmart, Home Depot, AutoZone, and various other mega chains moved in?

As a small-businessman, I am offended by the suggestion that one segment of the small-business community is offered protection when the rest of us were not.

JOE KIRKPATRICK

Cleveland, Tenn.

Look close to home to make donations

There was a nice article in the Signal Mountain Weekly about a church mission team taking gifts to Kentucky.

This is a generous effort, but I'd like to ask if there aren't some families in our own back yards who are equally as needful?

If you would like to make donations of clothing and food, just check with your local food pantry (the one in Dunlap is practically empty), and there are children in our schools who don't have decent clothes, coats and shoes. And remember April 27, 2011? There are areas that were hit that still don't have resources available.

There is a current move to "Buy Local," which is a good thing. I firmly believe this should also apply to donations. Think before you send your money or goods to another state or outside the country. Some of our servicemen and women could also use a little help.

And if you would like to help school children who don't have food at home for breakfast, check with your local schools about making donations to provide breakfast and lunch for these children. The high unemployment rate doesn't only affect the workers, it impacts their kids even more.

Just think about it.

HELEN COOPER

Signal Mountain

Conservatives use language to deceive

Clay Bennett's "trickle down" Santa recalls how conservatives consistently use language to deceive. "Trickle down" sounds much nicer than "crumbs falling from the table." Those working people today who ardently defend this crummy idea have shown how duped they are.

Consider Amity Shlaes, who dodged Paul Krugman's warning about fascism. With customary conservative enmity, she would distract us with half truths about spending during the Great Depression. She writes that the "spending run-up to World War II" is part of a standard narrative about what happened, but she forgets to mention that the spending after the war began is narrated as government spending too. Our government spent tax dollars on workers who, "built ships and planes faster than the enemy could sink them or shoot them down," according to Ken Burns' documentary "The War."

Finally, Cal Thomas, the wonderful wizard of fog, dubs the embarrassing gaffes of the Republican presidential field as "supposed mistakes." He crafts a dubious argument about what Mr. Obama has forgotten without including a single example of an embarrassing stupidity. Mr. Thomas, however, has conveniently forgotten much. For instance, he forgot to mention that the unemployment rate was 7.8 percent and rising the day Mr. Obama took office.

WILLIAM D. HEARD

Ringgold, Ga.

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