Sleepless nights

Dear editor:

On the other side of the coin, I have a husband that has to be in bed by 9:00 p.m. because he has to get up in the morning at 4:00 a.m. I am a taxpayer and a resident and I also have a dog, but I keep it in the house. It will protect me as much in my house as outside and if it barks it will not bother anyone but me. I would like for the people that say a barking dog is no problem to have to lay at night and listen to a barking dog till all hours of the night and morning and see how they feel about them when they have to get up and go to work with little or no sleep.

Barbara Corbin Rossville

An honest living

Dear editor:

I feel like I have just went back in time! The City Council has told the massage therapists of the city of Ringgold to prove they are not prostitutes. That shows we have some very uneducated people sitting on the board.

What happened to letting the law handle criminal activity?

The Ringgold Police Dept. and Catoosa County Sheriff’s Dept. both know where the illegal activity is taking place. Let the authorities use the laws already in place to fight crime where they find it, don’t punish and make the professionals like myself feel like we are no more than common criminals.

The citizens of Ringgold need to be very aware of such ignorance. People will say, “well, if they’re not doing anything wrong then it shouldn’t matter.” That is a very scary thought. when the City Council comes knocking on your door and tells you that they need a sample of your blood so they have it for the city DNA data bank to “prevent crime.” What finger will you give them to prick?

Oh, don’t forget your $150 annual fee. Give me a break! Massage therapy is a respected practice. At least it is for people who have educated themselves on massage therapy. I am not one who would wish harm or pain on anyone but I am hoping really hard that one of the councilmen throws their back out and they go to the doctor and are advised to get a massage. Karma can be painful!

Sherry Brocksmith Ringgold

Praise for barking law changes

Dear editor:

I personally think that it is about time that something like this passed. There are owners that basically ignore and neglect their dogs. These owners don’t even deserve to have pets and this may cause some of them to get rid of them due to the fines that could be imposed upon them.

I spend many a night awake and even going out on my back porch to try to quiet the dogs next door and their owners never say a thing to them and these dogs are neglected and left out even when the weather is extremely bad.

Way to go Catoosa County commissioners.

I am a pet owner myself but keep my pets under control and they stay inside at night.

Sherry Risien Ringgold

Church and State

Dear editor:

In response to (a letter to the editor in the Feb. 22 edition), first of all it is not a rule of separation of Church and State and second of all, you as many, don’t even understand what the separation of Church and State intended. It was written so that there would never be a Church of America established, as there was a Church of England. That is why the pilgrims came to this country, so they could have freedom of religion, not freedom from religion.

As for posting the Ten Commandments in courtrooms, I would personally like to see them posted, not for the general public, but rather for the judges, prosecutors, attorneys, detectives, etc. You can’t find a more unjust or untruthful place on earth than our courtrooms. For that matter, I think when a witness is sworn in, they need to go back to putting their hand on the Bible and swearing to tell the truth and nothing but the truth so help them God. Maybe, just maybe, some people would think twice before lying on the witness stand.

Trish White Ringgold

Bedroom county

Dear editor:

Well, we’ve done it again! How many times are the people of Catoosa County going to “sleep at the wheel” while our tax dollars are being foolishly sucked down the sewer of private contractors and lazy, self-centered, greedy and usually goofy would-be politicians and a few supposedly concerned citizens waste our hard earned money?

Why should you and I pay for profits to the contractors so they can sell more houses, that most people can’t afford to buy anyway? Why should our tax dollars go into their pockets and provide for their families?

The statement was made, “Catoosa County will become an island in North Georgia.” Wake up people, it already is one! How much new industry was created in the county last year? How many new jobs were created in the county last year? How many miles of sewer was ran to existing homes last year? How many miles of existing roads were repaired last year? How much of the necessary infrastructure was maintained? Think about it.

If you think Catoosa County is a stand-alone community in North Georgia, you are lost in lala land! You need to star in a situation comedy, for that is where you are. If it were not for the jobs created in Chattanooga and surrounding areas of Tennessee, or Rome, Dalton and other areas of North Georgia, Catoosa County would be all but non-existent.

Can you not recognize a bedroom county when you live in one? This county is almost void of hard manufacturing, industry and supply, and business that provide a living wage for people. You can’t count a new resale shop, a fruit stand, a gas station, an eating joint or even a doctor’s office as a job opportunity. The next time you go into a business, count the number of employees, or better yet inquire as to what they bring home for a paycheck each week. We need hard industry. If we are going to get blamed for pollution, and possibly have to pay for it, why not enjoy some of the benefits from it?

People like our current commissioners live at your expense. How many of them get a real paycheck each week from an honest job? Think about it! It is easy for them to spend our money and reject ways of creating income for the county other than raise taxes and a flimsy and breakable crutch like SPLOST funds. You may get them or you may not get them.

We need to elect working people to offices that control how our tax dollars are spent, not a bunch of washed out liberals who are busy trying to convince us how careful they are with our money. Case in point, the more of the costs of building houses in this county will come from your pocket because our good commissioners (Smiley Gracy, Sleepy Emberson, Maybe Marks and Not A Clue Bobby) rejected the proposed and sensible impact fees.

You should really thank God for Bill Clark who is willing to take a stand against such foolishness.

Wake up people.

Dan Phillips Graysville