Give laws careful consideration
One really has to question the "comprehensive" approach to lawmaking. We would be better served by smaller, targeted bills that are read and discussed before passage. Instead, Congress is determined to pass huge bills that no one reads, that have ample opportunity for earmarks, and that are mere outlines to be hashed out later by bureaucrats under the influence of powerful and monied lobbyists. Washington's repeated campaign for comprehensive immigration reform is a prime example. Can amnesty, masked by the comprehensive approach, be the desired end? The existing immigration laws may need some tweaking, but they are far from the broken state certain legislators claim. Instead of selective enforcement to gain political advantage, lawmakers should demand that the existing laws be upheld and, where modification is necessary, make changes through the legislative process and not by presidential decree or Department of Justice directive. Congress should develop a comprehensive plan with an implementation outline that everyone can agree to. Enforcing existing laws--especially securing the borders -- must be the first step.
MIKE BUDNICK, Winchester, Tenn.
Tennessee should take Medicaid funds
Why is Gov. Bill Haslam turning down billions of dollars to fund Medicaid expansion though the Affordable Care Act? This money would help thousands of poor, uninsured Tennesseans get the medical help they need. Gov. Haslam is turning down these billions of dollars we would receive every year for political points. By turning down this money, he is putting our state in a huge, billion-dollar deficit every year. This deficit affects every Tennessean, and every Tennessean should contact Gov. Haslam about this.
DAVID HICKEY