Church supporting summer learning
We at the REACH Summer Learning program would like to publicly thank Trinity Lutheran Church and the Trinity Lutheran Church Social Missions Committee for being a vital and generous partner to our program. In addition to graciously allowing us the use of their facility for our program, they have provided a full scholarship this year (based on financial need).
Our mission at REACH is to provide elementary-age children with autism a safe and structured learning environment throughout the summer. The program is for rising first- through fifth- graders currently enrolled in a special education classroom in Hamilton County or surrounding areas.
We are looking forward to another successful summer.
Marie Johnson & Dr. Jacinta McGavock
Partial quote elicits smile
I greatly enjoyed the photo on last Monday's Region (B1) page. Jessie Bean Bailey, shown working in her pottery studio, is wearing an apron with one of my favorite quotes on it. The complete quote says, "You can lead a horticulture but you cannot make her think." Too bad the photo didn't show it all. Or not. Love it!
Doug Karhan, Trussville, Ala.
Context needed in profit reporting
Why is it that newspapers report a company's improved performance with the insinuation that they are making obscene profits at the expense of the labor force? Its always "X companies profits increase by 60 percent," thereby implying that the company is making tremendous profits. The average person is tempted to believe the company is violating the workers by not increasing their wages 60 percent. The thinking is "I only got a 2 percent pay raise, and they are making 60 percent more." A recent example is the April 22 report "Astec boosts profits by 59 percent" in the Business section. The truth of the matter is in the first quarter of 2014 Astec posted profits of 3.98 percent, a barely acceptable profit margin for any business. In the first quarter of 2015 Astec posted profits of 5.2 percent, a slight increase but still only marginally acceptable. A realistic goal for many companies is a 10 to 15 percent profit margin just to stay in business and woo investors.
Paul A. Becksvoort, Signal Mountain
Heed lessons from Iraq War
Before this country commits fighting troops abroad in support of those opposing the Islamic State, we should consider the price -- something seriously miscalculated when, without justification, this country went to war in Iraq. What did the Iraq War cost? More than 100,000 American soldiers dead, missing or wounded. More than a million lost in their demolished countries. Trillions of taxpayer dollars squandered on a lost cause. Saddam as enemy of Iran was our ally. Iran feared him, and he kept them contained. Today, Iran controls Bagdad and is marching all over the Middle East. Saddam kept al Qaeda out of Iraq, now overrun by ISIS. Under his regime, Christians were protected. Before engaging further in the Middle East, the commander in chief must consider action based only on imminent threat to this country, on advice of our military and taking into account the cost of engagement. Failure to learn from the past has been ruinous to our country and must never be ignored again.
John Bratton, Sewanee, Tenn.
Curb lethal habit with settlement
Check out "Broken promises to our children: A state-by-state look at the 1998 state tobacco settlement 16 years later" report; you'll find it shocking. Georgia ranks 45th in spending tobacco settlement money each year. That money was intended to prevent tobacco usage through education and awareness. For 2015, Georgia will spend $1.8 million on tobacco prevention, a small fraction of the settlement available. The CDC recommended $106 million as the target goal to be spent on tobacco education. Eighteen percent of adults in Georgia smoke; 12.8 percent of high school students do. Deaths caused by smoking total 11,700 each year. Annual health care costs directly caused by smoking is $3.2 billion. We had an opportunity to affect the general health and welfare of our state and community. In Georgia, if we were to reduce high school smoking to 7.5 percent, this would translate to 64,170 kids' lives saved and $3.2 billion in future health care savings. Why aren't we doing what would make the most sense? Maybe we have no sense!
Charlie DeFrancesco
School choice advocate is Tennessee based
Last Sunday, your paper focused on the various "outside interest" or "out-of-state" education reform groups pushing for much needed changes to our K-12 educational system, but missed some details. For further context, the Tennessee Federation for Children, a coalition ally of the American Federation for Children, is controlled by a local board of directors and local Tennesseans occupy all of the executive positions. Additionally, Tennesseans contributed more than $500,000 to the Tennessee Federation for Children and other coalition allies for work to promote educational choice in Tennessee over the last two years. This was done with the goal of reforming more than 40 years of bureaucratic mismanagement of Tennessee's K-12 education system by entrenched special interest groups. Today, the Tennessee Federation for Children, Students First, Democrats for Education Reform, Black Alliance for Educational Options, Beacon and others are acting as a counter-balance to those who have ruled Tennessee's K-12 education system for their own benefit and to prop up the educational status quo.?
Tommy Schultz, Tennessee Federation for Children
Can Muslims get past violence?
The Muslim profession of faith, "There is no God but Allah, and Mohammad is his messenger," is the most important tenet of Islam. It is inscribed on the banners of ISIS, Al-Qaeda and Boko Haram. Killing infidels, Christians and Jews has been the practice of Islam. Just during the month of April 2015, Christians were overthrown from a boat, beheaded and shot. Christian students were separated from Muslims and shot. These monstrous acts toward humanity are driven by irrational ideology embedded in Islam. Millions of Muslims are coming to America seeking a better life for themselves and their families. Americans are tolerant and sensitive to other's beliefs. Can Muslims waive the violent elements within their religion? If they would choose to do so, they will have a better life here in America than their view of paradise.
Amos Taj, Ooltewah
Workman Road needs repairs
I would like to clarify something. The Chattanooga Public Works Department is putting sidewalks on one end of Workman Road off Rossville Boulevard. That is like planting roses along a cow trail. If Chattanooga had enough responsibility to take care of the roads, it would be different. Workman is how I go to work. One ride on the road results in busted belts in tires, knocking the front-end out of line and various other mechanical ailments. Like my previous letter to the editor, "Lost. 2002 Hyundai Accent. Last seen entering a pothole on Workman Road, Chattanooga." Too sarcastic? It would be if it were not the truth. Fix the roads!
Robert E. Digges Jr., Rossville