Chattanooga should be proud of ironman efforts and other letters to the editors

Chattanooga should be proud of Ironman efforts

Sunday, Sept. 28, was an incredible day as several thousand triathletes from all over the world converged on the Scenic City for the first running of Ironman Chattanooga. I have never been more inspired by the energy and enthusiasm shown by these folks as they endured a tough course before reaching the finish line at Ross's Landing.

I want to applaud our local community for the volunteers and spectators who made Sunday's event so special. Virtually every person, including the overall winners, praised Chattanooga and its unsurpassed support from the sideline.

I want to praise members of the Times-Free Press staff for an outstanding job of coverage, starting several days before and following several days later. Your stories and pictures captured the spirit of the event.

I've been a proud resident of this city for more than 50 years but never more so than Sunday. You can be assured many from out of town will plan to come back. We showed the world we do have a classy community and know how to put on a first-class event.

John Hunt


Don't be fooled by jobless figures

Before the 2008 presidential election, the percentage of the U.S. population in the workforce was around 61.5 percent and falling slightly. After the election, that ratio took a significant dive to 58.5 percent and has held steady since. Recent figures show unemployment in the U.S. at 5.9 percent, the lowest during Obama's terms. This statistic is misleading. True unemployment is much higher. Nearly 320,000 people have exited the workforce since Obama took office and are not counted in the unemployment data. Those people decided it was easier and more lucrative to live off government entitlements than to go to work every day. Entitlement reform must be a primary objective of the next administration. It is time for this country to give true conservative policies a chance.

Roger Bartmess, Ooltewah


Help the 'village' feed the children

In response to the Monday article "Avondale Couple's Breakfast Ministry in Jeopardy," I believe Chris and Cookie Rolle are unique, proactive and tackling the issue of local children going to school hungry. The common saying "It takes a village to raise a child" attests to what the Rolles are doing for their neighborhood youth. They are taking matters into their own hands and providing local children with a meal that otherwise may not exist. According to the Chattanooga Area Food Bank, one in four children go hungry in our region. With all the efforts fostered in Chattanooga to raise awareness to the issue, it is appalling a couple is being threatened to shut down their effort to fix the issue. It is vital the Hamilton County School Board of Education work with this caring couple to ensure the continuation of their attempts to eliminate local hunger. We must become that village, offering our local children food to fuel their brains for a lifetime of productivity.

Makaylah Everett


Paper makeover easier on the eyes

I really appreciate the makeover of the Times Free Press, but maybe not for the reasons you would expect. I have been a voracious reader my entire life -- papers, books, magazines -- and while I use electronic media to stay up to the minute, the detail afforded by the paper is really welcomed. However at 71, my eyes are weakening a bit with retinopathy and glaucoma affecting my vision. Your remake has added vibrant color to sections' lead pages, and the increase in white space and the block headlines have opened up the pages and made the paper much easier to read. Thanks so much for making changes that will let me enjoy my paper for years to come.

Barry Van Kirk


True climate: we really don't know

Last week, the Weather Channel saturated us with apocalyptic "climate change" predictions, echoing the findings of the planet's chief climatologist, Barack Obama. Last February, a winter weather expert on this same channel described the formation of the next named storm in the Gulf of Alaska. It was Sunday. He stated because of shifting pressure gradients, a wandering jet stream and other atmospheric anomalies, prediction models placed this storm on Thursday either over Nantucket, Mass., or Charlotte, N.C., a span of 1,000 miles. In other words, we really don't know where this storm will be in four days. What we do know, however, is that by 2050, Miami will be under water and polar bears extinct due to melting sea ice. Really? I guess the next 35 years will be devoid of troublesome anomalies and uncooperative atmospheric phenomenon that contaminate their omniscience; or perhaps forecasting accuracy improves as the time horizon expands; or just maybe we don't yet know what we don't know.

Al Colonna, Signal Mountain


Fix problems, but be proud of library

Much has been made of the travel expenses of Chattanooga Public Library Executive Director Corrine Hill and her top staff. I am disappointed this issue is overwhelming two years of innovation and enhancement of our library. I do not condone sloppy record keeping, nor do I think lying to an auditor and destroying records is anything less than a cause for termination. Yet I beg to differ with The Chattanooga Times' stance that the travel funds could "buy a lot of books." Ms. Hill has been identified as 2014 Librarian of the Year by the Library Journal. One does not earn this accolade by purchasing books. I would encourage your readers to look at the recent NMC Horizon Report 2014 Library Edition (go.nmc.org/dxydz). This publication looks at libraries over the next five years. Much of what is presented is already underway here. Let's get policies in place and establish oversight to make sure things are done correctly. We should be proud of what has been accomplished to bring Chattanooga a 21st century public library.

Lawrence G. Miller, Hixson


Hospice fulfilled family's needs

My husband, Farris Hawkins, spent the last year of his life successfully battling lung cancer. The last month of his life he took the third round of chemo, and 10 days before his death, he truly crashed. On Sept. 15, we called in Hospice so he could stay at home. They came that day, and the hospital bed was set up before bedtime. The next morning, a registered nurse started his care. A social worker came to attend to our needs. He passed away early that evening. God was so good not to let him linger and suffer, but his care from Hospice was amazing. They came to pronounce his death and called the funeral home. Hospice of Chattanooga was truly an angel to the family of Farris Hawkins in our hour of need. For that we will be eternally grateful.

Nanette Hawkins, Fort Oglethorpe


Women who abort may lack choices

One recent letter writer suggested "to put a stop to thousands of little lost lives in November" by voting to limit abortion rights. Many if not most of such like-minded individuals are the first to cry for cuts or to eliminate funds to the poor and disadvantaged. Many of the women who are unfortunately opting for the difficult and painful choice of abortion are young, under-educated girls, maybe even drug addicted and probably poor, or women without resources to provide for another child, or possibly a victim of rape. Very often the father is absent both financially and emotionally. Where is the appeal for help for these women and children after birth? Perhaps that would hit the pocketbook of these righteous individuals.

Sally Scholze

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