Letters to the Editors: Obama influence raises gas prices

Obama influence raises gas prices

Some claim the president has no control over gasoline prices.

Gasoline, a commodity, is subject to the law of supply and demand. While the president has little control over demand increases from growth in India and China, he clearly has influenced the demand side of the equation.

He has limited supply by refusing to approve pipelines, by restricting drilling permits on public land, by closing offshore drilling, by instituting restrictions on refineries, and by curtailing the "fracking" process. Instead, taxpayer dollars are misspent to develop Brazilian oil fields and to guarantee loans for failing "green energy" companies.

The president's economic policies and resulting inflation have contributed directly to rising gasoline costs. Despite the government's claim that inflation is under control, we have only to look at our grocery bills to see that this is not so.

Oil is valued in U.S. dollars worldwide. Borrowing funds to cover government's runaway spending causes inflation that weakens the value of our currency. A weaker dollar cannot buy the same amount of oil as it could before its weakening. Therefore, the cost of oil increases, resulting in higher gasoline prices.

The president is responsible. Hopefully, voters will place the blame where it truly lies.

MIKE BUDNICK

Winchester, Tenn.

Editor backed denial of rights

Mr. Lee Anderson retired recently as editor of the Chattanooga Free Press. He received much praise and accolades. My view is different. In my judgment, Lee was the champion of right-wing groups determined to deny black Americans equal rights guaranteed by the Constitution -- hardly worth praise.

During the civil rights conflict, my brother Wilbourne, a ninth-grade civics teacher at Dalewood Junior High, had untrue charges brought against him because he took a stand supporting integration and respect for the Constitution. Mr. Anderson sided with the parents, and on Nov. 18, 1963, wrote two editorials, one "Calling for Fairness in the Classroom" and "The Illegitimate 14th Amendment." The school board exonerated Wilbourne, and later he was the Chattanooga Jaycees Teacher of the Year and one of the three most outstanding teachers in Tennessee.

In 1972, my dear departed friend Leroy Phillips ran for Hamilton County Criminal Court judge. As my brother, he, too, was a liberal. Lee maligned Leroy to the extent that his conservative law partner, Crawford Bean, jokingly told Leroy he "should be proud as he had received more votes than any communists who ever ran in Hamilton County" -- not praiseworthy. This brilliant criminal lawyer would have made an excellent member of the U.S. Supreme Court. Such a shame.

WELDON R. MARKHAM

Page changes an improvement

Kudos to the Free Press for the much-improved, right-hand local editorial page.

Haven't seen a single reference to ObamaCare, socialized medicine or any other Fox News or RNC talking point; haven't seen a single rhetorical question; haven't seen more than a single exclamation point, and the editorial cartoons are finally being left to speak for themselves.

For once, it's a conservative editorial section that even a liberal can respect and read without gagging. It's thoughtful, well written and long overdue.

Now, if you would only relocate the Bible Wisdom box to the more appropriate Life section.

BRIAN HAMILTON

Make sure projects fiscally responsible

The City Council recently approved a $341,000 "green roof" for another public building. Reportedly the green roof will cost $261,000 more than a conventional roof and produce a $4,000 annual energy savings. That calculates to a payback of 65.25 years. That's 12 years longer that the 50 years the director of sustainability states the roof will last.

Council Chairwoman Pam Ladd justifies the project because it would be eligible for federal grants. So this project will be added to the Chattanooga area's growing list of high-cost, low-return public and private green energy projects, primarily funded by tax and TVA ratepayers.

In these financially stressed times, it is hard to imagine that the City Council doesn't have a infinite number of needs where investing this money would generate a larger positive return to the city. Deborah Scott's lone no vote should be applauded.

As part of their public vision for the city, Chattanooga's leaders have chosen to emphasis green projects. Fine. However, they still have a responsibility to ensure that these projects make reasonable fiscal sense.

BILL BARTLE

Cleveland, Tenn.

Individuals can help the poor

It's interesting to me how many of those who pound the drum of "separation of church and state" invoke the name of Jesus in order to justify raising taxes. Jesus' command for us to help the poor was directed to every individual -- not governments. Our Christian freedoms and responsibilities come from God, not from the government.

The conversion of the chief tax collector, Zacchaeus, in the Book of Luke beautifully tells the story of one man's salvation by promising Jesus that he would pay back those people he had ripped off.

We're all sinners ,and we're all greedy to one degree or another. Except for the very poor or homeless, the rest of us could all cash in many of our possessions and that money be given to help others. How many of us will be judged harshly for not having given enough?

I pay taxes like a lot of people, "Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's." With all the fraud, waste and abuse of our tax dollars, though, all I really feel like giving Caesar is maybe a few anchovies for his salad dressing.

JIM GOODIN

Decatur, Tenn.

Generation gap is obvious

On the subject of the school chaperones who were consuming alcohol aboard a cruise ship (front page, April 24):

If they want to drink, they should finance their own trip(s). As much as I loathe a tattletale (especially an adult one), drinking on a school-sponsored trip is not appropriate. But are these types of outings really necessary in the first place?

What do they have to look forward to in adulthood when they have already done everything there is to do by the time they graduate from high school? Do I detect a generation gap here? That seems to be the case.

MIKE HYDER

Dalton, Ga.

Good reasons to back Obama

Ten good reasons to re-elect Barack Obama:

  1. Affordable Health Care Act. Bans use of pre-existing illness to exclude children. Children up to age 26 can be on their parents' coverage.

  2. bin Laden killed.

  3. Gadhafi killed without prolonged war and loss of American lives.

  4. Iraq War ended.

  5. GM/Chrysler recovery.

  6. Chevy Volt success.

  7. Middle-class tax cuts two years in a row.

  8. Lilly Ledbetter Act (prevents pay discrimination against women).

  9. Credit Card Bill of Rights (protects consumers).

  10. Mathew Shepard Act (against Hate Crimes Act).

I cast my vote Nov. 6 for Obama.

MIKE C. BODINE

Is new war needed for Obama to stay?

I am wondering: Will the president have this country enter a new war in order that he may get to stay in the White House for another term?

NORMA WITTER

Sequatchie, Tenn.

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