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By Staff
We owe our veteran's more
Editor:
In 1943, there were signs everywhere, even spots on the radio: "Enlist today, free medical attention for you and yours for life."
So I volunteered five days before I would be 18 years old. You could give the pick of all the services if you enlisted before you were 18.
I came out of the Navy April 2, 1946. I was young and didn't need medicine. But through the years my wife and I needed more and more medical attention.
We were told that nobody could get free medicine after we spent every cent we could get our hands on. We found out through our civilian doctor that I could get medicine. We were having to pay some $200 a month with both our Social Security checks to pay for our medicine, Blue Cross supplement and $200 per year deductible and we are both 77 years old.
I went to the Huntsville Veteran's Clinic. The doctors and nurses and employees treated me great. About two year's later, I had a doctor's appointment at the new Madison clinic. When I arrived and signed in, they send two other veterans and myself home. They said I owed them over $900. They will not use my Blue Cross and Medicare card. They are trying to make money off veterans. The drug companies talk about giving the VA free medicine. Then they want to charge us $50-60 per doctor's visit, plus $7 to write up each prescription. I'll bet that's why the drug companies can charge $20-25 per pill and get away with it.
We veterans, we kept the United States from speaking Japanese and German or both, so at least they should do what they promised to get us to enlist in World War II years 1941-45.
James Gray Sr.
Falkville
Ponytails thanks all donors
Editor:
The members of the Hartselle Ponytails All-Star Team, coaches and their families would like to thank each of you who make donations of any type to the team to help offset expenses incurred while staying in Enterprise for the state playoffs.
Although our Hartselle Ponytails did not win the state championship, they did represent our area very well by making it to the championship game and placing second in the state of Alabama.
We would like to say "congratulations" to the following players who were picked to be on the All Area Tournament Team: Kayla Orr, Chandler Orr, Anna Beth Hall, Shauna Clemons and Courtney Shumake. We know this is a great honor for these five girls. Thank you again for your donations, but most of all we thank you for your support.
Patricia Hall
Hartselle
Alcohol sales won't help
Editor:
In November of this year, the citizens of Hartselle will vote on whether or not we will allow for the sale of alcoholic beverages inside our city limits.
Between now and that vote, you will hear, watch and read a tremendous amount about reasons we should vote either yes or no on this issue.
The Hartselle Ministerial Association, led by the Rev. Dr. Norman Whitthuhn, pastor of the First Christian Church on Main Street, will give leadership to the pastors and churches regarding reasons Hartselle should vote no on this issue. There are many good reasons to vote no on the sale of alcohol in Hartselle. Let me give you one reason that I hope you will remember when you vote on the issue of alcohol sales in Hartselle.
Dr. Dan Ireland, executive director of the Alabama Citizens Action Program, told me beer would be the top selling alcoholic beverage if sales are allowed.
Each can or bottle of beer will have a 10 cent tax placed on it. The city of Hartselle will keep 5 cents of this tax, with the remaining 5 cents being sent to the Alcohol Beverage Control Board in Montgomery. When this money arrives in Montgomery, it is divided up and sent to every county, not municipality, in Alabama who have voted to sale alcoholic beverages. Hartselle citizens would be raising tax money for Madison, Jefferson and Mobile counties and every other wet county in Alabama. The city of Hartselle will receive nothing of this redistribution of tax money.
I hope we as Hartselle citizens will vote no on the sale of alcohol and by doing that will not provide tax money for counties across the state of Alabama.
Ron Wilson
First Baptist Church Hartselle