Chattanooga Pulse

Healthy Eating
Awesome article [Obesity In Chattanooga – A Weighty Problem]. Parents need to educate their children on how to eat properly. Get plenty of fruits, veggies, whole grains. Also drink lots of water, get plenty of sleep, and get more exercise. Of course, that goes for everyone—not just children. Prevention is definitely the ticket here! Good job.
Stacey Walker

Neighborhood Lawns
Following August’s public rebuke of the city’s proposed lawn ordinance, Chattanooga officials quickly announced their rewrite process would include broader community input. Almost as quickly, they made their first meeting near impossible for working people to attend: 10 a.m., Wednesday, Sept. 9, at City Hall. This meeting was, however, convenient for land speculators and developers who dream of empowering city yard inspectors to “correct” your flower bed, woods or vegetable garden without due process. I’m glad citizens are waking up to the fearlessness with which our elected officials are threatening our property rights. It’s time to make Chattanooga government for the people, not the well-connected.
Lana Sutton

Spending Priorities
I don’t know what a spray park is, but if it was me I’d spend that money on an old timey feature attraction of two steam engines racing towards each other and crashing head on like they used to do in the old days at Warner Park. Right there by the Boise rail yards they could supply the city with the locomotives and take a tax write-off, maybe even charge admission.
Don Woods

Police Need Support
It was with surreal despondence that I read Mayor Littlefield’s Executive Order regarding the city’s take home vehicles. I am appalled that I, along with all the other dedicated CPD officers, will now have to pay at least $1,300 annually to provide the citizens of our great city the fastest callout response possible.  Furthermore, I’ve learned that the proposed 2009/2010 Police Department Budget calls for cuts in longevity pay as well as the Career Development Program.  There has also been mention of eliminating, sorry, “unfunding” police positions.  At last count we are already down 34 officers from what “they” say we should be at.  I’ve never met a cop who signed up for this job to get rich.  It’s not going to happen and we do not fool ourselves into believing it ever will. We do this job because we love it.  We love it because we believe in what is right.  We do it in spite of the fact that we have to explain to our children that we may not be there when they wake up scared in the middle of the night because there are others who need our help just a little bit more at that time.
Toby Hewitt
Fraternal Order of Police
Vice President
Rock City Lodge 22