Commuter laments loss of trees on East Brainerd Road
My inner "tree hugger" is screaming in terror.
My morning commute down East Brainerd Road has become a murder scene. What once was a beautiful drive in the shade of majestic old growth trees has become a heart-wrenching sojourn down a battle-wounded road.
It truly is heartbreaking to see those magnificent trees felled to the ground with merciless force and chewed up by those evil-looking, tree-eating machines that are mulching trees as if they are nothing more than a pesky weed that needs to be eradicated.
Some will say the murder of those trees is necessary to widen the road because traffic on that road can be terrible at times.
What anyone preaching that garbage at me needs to know is "blah, blah, blah" is what will process through my brain.
Sherry Corriher, Ringgold, Ga.
Doing nothing will cost America
Edmund Burke said that "the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."
This is exactly what has happened to America. How many times have you heard, "I don't get involved in politics. I just preach the gospel" or you name it, whether it's church work, civic club, family, school activities, veterans' organizations, sports or whatever.
You won't speak out and get involved politically. However, you do enjoy the civic life that government affords you without any responsibility toward maintaining it. You drive the roads, use the schools and enjoy other benefits or services.
You see, you have a civic life as well as a church life or social life. You have neglected maintaining your civic life like letting your commissioner, state and federal legislators know where you stand on issues. So what keeps the government servants from listening to corrupt politicians? They are the only ones they hear.
Good men have done nothing; evil men have done plenty. That is why we have lost America.
J.B. Griffin
Take your ankle injuries seriously
I am a health and human performance student at the University of Chattanooga and very involved in injury prevention for athletes. That has led me to my research question: Will preseason and out-of-season ankle strengthening lessen in-season ankle injuries [better than] just using a brace or tape?
I want athletes and coaches to understand the right methods to prevent injuries in the lower extremities. Using a brace or tape is just not good enough. Most athletes I know don't take their safety seriously when playing. They go in recklessly, and their bodies are not prepared. Every day on campus, I see people with ACL tears, ankle boots and crutches. Most of their injuries are caused from inversions in the lower extremities while playing sports.
Jasmine Liev
Mental illness, guns don't mix
I had a mentally ill coworker. He would ask me for a ride home, and I would take him. On the way, he would ask me to stop so he could get some beer. He told me his family didn't let him have alcohol. I knew I wasn't going to stop, so I just changed the subject.
Yesterday, I looked in the Just-Busted paper and was shocked to see he was there. Under his name, it said "public intoxication." He couldn't control himself enough to drink at home. I thought, "What if he asked me to get him a gun?" Instead of public intoxication, would it turn into mass murder?
He is a really good guy but with his mental illness is not able to control himself. That is why we should have very strict laws and screenings for anyone to buy a gun. His mental illness was detectable, but in many cases you can't tell if something is wrong.
Next time someone with a mental illness asks you for something that could harm them or others, be careful what you do. Your actions could affect other people.
Zack McGill, Ooltewah
Teach women about assaults
There are many social issues that colleges and universities are forced to deal with, including sexual assault. Tim Goral, editor-in-chief of the University Business magazine states, "The alarming fact is that student rapists are repeat offenders who rape an average of six times."
So what are we doing about the sexual assaults that are all too common on campuses today? The "It's On Us" campaign, introduced last year by President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, encourages students not to second-guess friends' stories or blame them for the assault. Instead, they insist that one should speak out for their friends. While young women are preparing for college, the last thing they might think to prepare for is a sexual assault. Teaching college-age women about sexual assault before they enter college may prevent it from happening.
Sarah Reilly
Toxic leadership problem at USPS
As a retired letter carrier, I am allowed to exert my right to free speech. Employees are not allowed to tell the truth about the incompetent management while working at the USPS. For about the last five years in Chattanooga and nationwide, USPS management has become a poster child for "toxic leadership." On www.NPR.org (Jan. 6, 2014), you can read how the Army took on the issue of why returning vets were committing suicide and did so by changing its toxic leadership methods. The man who helped spearhead this effort said toxic leadership is present in many corporations where bosses make employees miserable. The key issue is zero accountability. In nearly three decades of carrying mail, I never saw a supervisor, manager or postmaster fired due to abuse of carriers. The term "going postal" never left; it just moved to carriers killing themselves.
Rick Wilhoite, Hixson
Big schools may not pay off
I read Tim Omarzu's April 12, Page 1 article in the Times Free Press about Hamilton County building huge elementary schools. He did an excellent job covering all the economic advantages of building these large buildings. I found no fault in the economic benefits listed in the article. However, there was one area that was not addressed.
We know from university research during the 1980s and '90s that the most appropriate sizes for optimum success is: elementary school (400 students), middle school (600 students) and high school (800 students). Data indicated that schools beyond these levels showed lower educational attainment on achievement tests and college entrance exams.
The data suggested that the reason for this is that schools with enrollments beyond these numbers become impersonal and not as attentive to students' individual educational needs. But as we know in Tennessee, it's all about the dollar. What is the cheapest way we can do something, rather than trying to achieve the best product for the future. Tennessee's rank of 48th in per-pupil expenditure only confirms this well-established fact.
Kenneth Barker
Few good choices for president
We're finding out who is running for president, and what a choice we have. I don't think we want Hillary. She's got too much baggage. Nor another Bush. The last one left us in dept and at war. Paul? Trump should stay in New York. Palin thinks she can win, but she's not knowledgeable enough to deal with foreign leaders. The two who should run but probably won't are Condoleezza Rice or John Kerry. She is an educated woman, and John gets along with other countries. President Obama did good his first term, considering he came into office facing a huge mess. He got an A. But the second term he gets a D. He has rich senators and congressmen who don't really care about lower-class Americans. I hope we get a president who cares about us.
Shirley Newhard, Harrison