Friday, January 1, 1904
Isn't it just great the Cumberland Human Resource Agency spent $2 million on travel, food and drinks for their board member, workers and guests during 2010-2011! Why spend any of that taxpayer money on welfare families (who we know are all gaming the system, what with food stamps, etc.), rural transportation (couldn't they just call a taxi or buy a car?), job training (who needs jobs in this economy?), drug abuse (Warren, Cumberland, Cannon, Van Buren, among the poorest counties in Tennessee -- could there be a drug problem in those counties?), and emergency assistance (these people should just pull themselves up by their boot straps).
I was disgusted after reading this article at the collective ignorance and insensitiveness of the people attending these functions. No one could eat at the Capital Grill in Washington or Morton's Steak House without having some idea of what meals cost and what their agency is spending on each person in attendance.
Everyone who attended and ate and drank so copiously should be replaced and have to experience what, no doubt, their poor clients experience every day of their lives.
SHIRLEY DAVIS
Sewanee, Tenn.
I enjoyed reading the article by Joan Garrett about Tennessee Temple. I attended the school in the late '60s and still remember what a wonderful time and place it was. We were not called independents but fundamentalists who believed in the verbal, plenary (every word) inspiration of the Bible and salvation by grace through Jesus Christ. I remember Dr. Roberson's famous quotes such as "Nobody loves a quitter," "Everything rises or falls on leadership," "You can't truly be great without knowing Christ," "Have faith in God," and "Just keep on keeping on," to name a few. He was a man of vision and conviction who knew Temple students by their first name.
Dr. Roberson never left Highland Park! He felt the call to become a full-time evangelist in his 70s and resigned as pastor. He remained a faithful and loyal member of Highland Park until his death at age 97. He had his own office on campus and was pastor emeritus of Highland Park as well as chancellor of Tennessee Temple Schools.
He truly was a great man of God whose influence is felt around the world by missionaries and Christian workers trained at Tennessee Temple.
HELEN FUSSELL
Wildwood, Ga.
Why is it that Chattanooga Times Free Press/WRCB sponsored the Republican primary debates in May but have not yet been able to schedule a debate between the two candidates vying for U.S. Congress?
This election season, the district has so many issues that need airing, from jobs to the locks to health care, from voting rights to poverty to education, that it just seems like a real debate is needed.
In the primary debate, there wasn't much difference in viewpoints, but this time we have two candidates with very different views, so voters have a real choice.
Chattanoogans deserve the right to hear what these candidates have to say. There's a lot riding on the outcome. Please, Times Free Press/WRCB, arrange a debate so Chattanoogans can be fully informed.
PAT COMBS
Hamilton County Department of Education Superintendent Rick Smith will deliver his annual "State of the Schools" address on Wednesday at 11 a.m. at the Hamilton County PTA monthly meeting in the Hamilton County School Board room at 3074 Hickory Valley Road. Mr. Smith will answer questions after his address. Come hear more about the great things happening in our public school system.
Hamilton County PTA would like to thank United Way of Greater Chattanooga and everyone who supported the Stuff the Bus school supply drive. We had our first teacher shopping day at the Hamilton County PTA Teacher Supply Depot, and teachers from around the county were thrilled to be able to stock up with supplies to help their students.
A special thanks to Top Flight, Publix, Walgreens, Hamilton Place mall, Comcast, Chattanooga Market, Chattanooga Lookouts, WRCB, Fairway Outdoor, Clear Channel Radio, Chattanooga Times Free Press and all our other Stuff the Bus sponsors.
The need for school supplies is year-round. You can bring donations to the meeting this Wednesday, drop them off at United Way at 630 Market St. or at the Teacher Supply Depot at 2225 Roanoke Ave. or send an email to teachersupplydepot@hcde.org.
SCOTTIE GOODMAN SUMMERLIN
Hamilton County PTA Communications VP
Signal Mountain
The facts stated in Steve Goreham's commentary "PBS misses ice cap facts," Thursday, Sept. 27, are essentially correct. The conclusion is incorrect.
NASA has recently completed an eight-year study of land ice. A University of Colorado at Boulder-led team used NASA data to calculate how much Earth's melting land ice is adding to global sea-level rise. Using twin satellites, they were able to measure the changes in Earth's gravity field by noting minute changes in gravitational pull created by variations in Earth's mass.
The study measured ice from all over the globe. The finding is that more ice is melting than is being created.
AMANDA FARRIS
Red Bank
Since when is it appropriate for Sen. Harry Reid to use the Senate floor to make extreme derogatory remarks about Mitt Romney's religious status? His remarks were run on various news channels, thereby giving free commercial ads in support of Obama.
Shouldn't that be against the Constitution? Reference the Ninth Amendment of certain rights, "shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people." Gov. Romney has been chosen by the people as their nominee for president.
There have been so many wrongs done under President Obama, debt almost bankrupting our country, a healthcare bill that cost $700 billion, bailouts (and takeovers) of banks, subsidizing failing energy businesses, and many other errors. He apologized so many times four our country. How could he do that? It really irks me when I see so many troops come home maimed, losing limbs, crippled for life and dying, trying to build up other countries.
CHARLOTTE M. TURNER
The reason 10 countries are burning our flag is because they are scared. Obama has launched over 320 Hellfire drone missiles including G.W. Bush's 46 ... one very four days. We are vaporizing them by the mass.
Madeline Albright, former secretary of State, said recently, "Well, now we have drones to take care of our enemies." I actually felt sick. We are made to fear them, and I guarantee they have good reasons to fear us, as we are the most violent country on Earth. We have killed over 2,000 innocent mothers and children, and from the sounds of people like Albright we have only begun.
By the way, Congress just allocated over $20 billion for drones ... to surveil us.
We are looking WWIII right in the eye.
When you have a culture that has been erroneously taught by its "Doom's Day preachers" we only have one life?, you can expect this insanity.
Why aren't these preachers and their throngs speaking out against this evil? We must get out of this sandbox our Department of Defense has put us in.
ROBERT LEE BROWN
Missionary Ridge