Deregulation cut right to redress

Occupy Wall Street and similar sit-ins around America exercise First Amendment right to peaceably assemble but haven't used its right to petition the government for redress of grievance. Wall Street isn't the seat of government but of guilt.

Proper redress (lawsuit) would have to prove intent to defraud. Most people don't know how to investigate anything, search law and case precedents, or explain why they've lost much and owe more. Obama explained the financial meltdown not long after he became president, on NBC's "Tonight Show." He said, "It's legal."

Deregulation's removal of accountability requirements made financial crimes "legal." What Obama didn't say is that deregulation was a pre-emptive strike against our right to redress our grievances. Congress did it, across the 1980s; the cheerful Reagan years when "big bad government" became the pre-emptive strike's scapegoat. But all that can't be traced, right? Wrong.

That relentless scourge of degradation can be found in the Congressional Record (except for the arm-twisting), showing who introduced what bill, who co-sponsored, and who voted "yes." Ah, but proving intent-to-defraud always brings us back to the GOP's Occupy Wellspring Notion, smugly pontooned and anchored against storms. Temporarily.

RACHEL WHEELER

No gift too small for food donations

On Friday, Dec. 9, WRCB-TV (Channel 3) will sponsor the 27th Annual Share Your Christmas to benefit the Chattanooga Area Food Bank and those needing food assistance. Once again, the public is invited to fight against hunger by dropping off whatever food donations can be spared at the First Tennessee Pavilion from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

As 2011 has proven to be a challenging year for so many families, it has also been a year of outstanding generosity for those wishing to help. A record number of food drives have been sponsored by churches, corporations, neighborhoods, scouts, schools and organizations far and wide. Because of this outpouring of food, there has been more than enough to meet the growing demand, and no one in need has been turned away.

However, hunger knows no season, and once the holidays are over, the demand will go right on into spring and summer, and our shelves will need to stay full. No gift of food is too small, and though there are many large donations, there also are gifts of one or two cans. It is the collective effort of neighbors sharing with neighbors which makes Share Your Christmas truly a special day.

CLARE M. SAWYER

President

Chattanooga Area Food Bank

Pray that leaders come to senses

The TV news of late is, as usual, very disturbing to peace-loving people. The world has gotten to be a dangerous place. The words Armageddon and doomsday are being mentioned by the news media.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, South Carolina, said in an interview if things continue in the direction we're going, doomsday isn't far off. Iran and all the other countries that are capable of building nuclear missiles (some of which could reach the United States), must be the reasons for his concern!

What makes the situation even worse is our leaders in Washington are thinking about cutting defense spending, because of not passing a deficit budget reduction bill. If I were in "a class of the rich and very rich," I don't think I would like the idea that old mother Earth could be blown out from under me. If there was anyway of buying peace on earth and good will toward men, there couldn't be any better investment than that!

It's time to face reality and pray that the world leaders come to their senses. Sanctions and talking don't seem to be working. Hopefully peace will prevail!

RICHARD D. BLOOD

Ringgold, Ga.

EPB meters more benefit than threat

Regarding the article about resistance to the installation of new EPB meters, especially at private residences:

Your article revealed that some people had demanded removal of the EPB usage monitoring devices on their electrical lines for fear their privacy was being compromised. I have to wonder if these same people also have given up use of their cell phones, their Internet connections, their credit cards, and their preferred customer cards issued by stores. We have been complicit in making ourselves less anonymous and more paranoid.

With every purchase, every call, every finger stroke we reveal our whereabouts, our preferences, our expenditures. We receive mountains of targeted advertising as a result of this collecting. Stores also refresh their inventories as a result of the information collected from us. Such information collection can be both a nuisance and a benefit.

With the information the EPB devices provide, customers will be able to track and thus control their power usage. The result should be less waste and increased efficiency. Information is empowering. The EPB feedback devices are more of a benefit for controlling energy usage than a threat to our privacy.

BEVERLY BURGESS

People have right to create money

The economies of Europe and the United States are going to collapse because of the monetary systems of both economies. It is probably too late to stop the collapse that is coming. Why is this happening?

It is very simple but extremely complicated to see what is going on. In both economies, the European Central Bank and the Federal Reserve System are set by law to let private banks create the people's money and charge interest to the people so that they can use their own money. This interest can be quite large. In the last 24 years, taxpayers in the U.S. have paid $8.2 trillion in interest. That is more than half the total $15 trillion debt in 24 years. If our treasury had issued our money interest-free, we would be without debt.

The Federal Reserve Act of 1913 has destroyed this country. The act itself is unconstitutional. Article 1, Section 8 of our Constitution says that Congress, i.e., the people have the right to create our money, and not to delegate the authority to a private bank cartel. This ponzi scheme was the brainchild of J.P. Morgan and William Rockefeller, et al. The Congress of the U.S.. has not been able stop this stealing of our money because they are bought and paid for by this bank cartel.

WILLIAM BETTS

Reduce breaks and programs

Assuming Congress cannot fix the deficit problem, we should find another way to fix it so that we can stop borrowing our way into Kaputville.

Here is an idea: Empower a new Deficit Branch of government to ax or scale back programs and tax breaks to a less grandiose level of the past.

Would voters support the creation of a Deficit Branch as the first step in fixing the deficit problems? If done properly it would stabilize the government!

RAY FARRIS

Lakesite

We need more help to back cancer bill

I would like to personally thank congressional Reps. Steve Cohen (Dem-TN-9) and Jim Cooper (Dem-TN-5) for taking a stand and co-sponsoring the Pancreatic Cancer Research and Education Act (S. 362/H.R. 733).

Congressman Chuck Fleischmann and Sens. Bob Corker and Lamar Alexander have the power to help us end pancreatic cancer. Would you contact them today and ask for their support?

Thankfully, breast cancer has an 89 percent chance of a five-year survival due to 30 years of research funding and advocacy efforts. Pancreatic cancer has a 6 percent chance of a five-year survival. Numbers that don't really resonate until you or someone dear is diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

Please take a moment to check out www.knowitfightitendit.org to change these unacceptable survival rates and give hope to future patients.

EDITH A. SNIDER