Questionable votes mar Tennessee election

• Unfortunately, there are increasing signs that the recent election to fill a vacant Tennessee state Senate seat was anything but ideal.
• John Ford, 31 years a member of the Legisla-ture, resigned after being indicted on bribery and extortion charges.
• When the ballots were counted, Ford was said to be the winner by the small margin of 13 votes.
• The most striking point was the discovery that two of the "voters" were registered not only with the election commission but also on their tombstones in a local cemetery.
• For these and other reasons, a state Senate committee is weighing the situation.
• It should be increasingly evident that there will be no reason for Tennesseans to have confidence in the legality of the choice of a senator for District 29 unless a new election is held with great care to remove any voting irregularities.
• The country received a holiday present this week when the U.S. Senate axed a plan to drill for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
• Stricter fuel standards for autos would help tremendously, as would concerted conservation efforts and support for alternative energy sources.
• If Washington is serious about reducing the country's dependence on foreign oil and it should be, a comprehensive, effective conservation plan needs to be developed.
• Arctic drilling will not solve the country's energy problems.
• New price comparisons compiled by Families USA, in fact, reveal a Medicare drug plan that is gouging seniors and taxpayers alike.
• Oddly enough, price never has seemed to matter to the self-described conservatives in Congress who approved the Medicare Modernization Act.
• Through its group purchasing power, the VA has been able to get deep discounts on generic and brand-name prescriptions and even for drugs that are not on its formulary.

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