Heritage Center needs our support
The Charles H. Coolidge Medal of Honor Heritage Center is an essential entity in our community. The character traits displayed by the recipients of our nation's highest military award are important to all, especially the youth of our community. We need to expand our ability to pass along this education to our youth. To accomplish this goal, we are raising funds to expand and open a new the heritage center at the Aquarium Plaza.
We need veterans and civilians alike to step up and provide financial support for this effort. We are in the early but quite important stage of our fundraising effort. Non-veterans can purchase a veteran life membership for loved ones who served. For more information, call 423-877-2525.
Alan Syler
Electoral College provides balances
In response to an Aug. 27 letter to the editor:
The Founding Fathers intentionally established the Electoral College to protect us from a bare majority; the Continental Congress never intended to create a pure majority-rule democracy. This differentiates the United States from a pure democracy.
The Electoral College provides checks and balances to the process, preventing a single ideology from dominating the political landscape.
It was not until a partisan lens was applied, after the most unpredictable, unprecedented upset in presidential election history, the Electoral College began to seem unfair.
Since our government was created as a democratic republic, the Electoral College had to put this ideology in place by acknowledging the 50 states and the District of Columbia as individual representatives of the collective masses. This gives each entity a vote total that corresponds to their respective populations. This process and its greater purpose was to prevent the larger population areas (both coasts) from dominating the government at the expense of the less populated areas (flyover country).
Trump won the presidency the only way our county has ever awarded it, and no petition by our snowflakes can undo or discredit this feat.
Terry M. Campbell
'Patriotism' can't cover treason
Like many others, I've followed the controversy over the monuments to Confederate leaders.
I've come across the statement of Union Gen. George Henry Thomas, a Virginian, in 1868. "The greatest efforts made by the defeated insurgents since the close of the war have been to promulgate the idea that the cause of liberty, justice, humanity, equality and all the calendar of the virtues of freedom suffered violence and wrong when the effort for Southern independence failed. This is, of course, intended as a species of political cant, whereby the crime of treason might be covered with a counterfeit varnish of patriotism, so that the precipitators of the rebellion might go down in history hand in hand with the defenders of the government, thus wiping out with their own hands their own stains; a species of self-forgiveness amazing in its effrontery, when it is considered that life and property - justly forfeited by the laws of the country, of war, and of nations, through the magnanimity of the government and people - was not exacted from them."
Byron Chapin
There's no new genetic material
In a recent article, "Species change within a decade," author Jonathan Losos talks about real-time evolution. His use of evolution is blurred because there is change seen in animals mentioned, but guppies are still guppies, lizards still lizards, elephants still elephants, and so forth.
In Genesis, God said to animals, "Be fruitful and multiply," and bring forth "according to its own kind." That's exactly what we see today - there is no new genetic material! Everything was perfect at the beginning, but after Creation there was corruption (sin when Adam and Eve disobeyed).
There has never been found a missing link for Darwinian evolution. It doesn't matter what time is involved! Get truth: The Bible, Arkencounter.com.
Carroll Waddle
Fort Oglethorpe
Early to bed, early to rise is very wise
About a recent mob scene at the Speedway on Third Street, I have three observations.
First, I often have occasion to drive down Third Street in the middle of the night in the course of my work. I can tell you that large gatherings of people at gas stations is nothing new.
Some nights it looks like opening day at the ballpark at 2 a.m. Secondly, mandating a closing time of 11 p.m. for these businesses would eliminate the problem.
Last, it seems to me that most trouble in this world could be avoided if you go to bed before 11 p.m. and get up at 7 a.m.; closing gas stations at 11 p.m. would facilitate that. And yes, I remember very well a world where gas stations weren't open 24/7. We got along just fine - in my humble opinion.
Steve Petarra
Signal Mountain
Houston humbles all whiners
We're becoming a nation of whiners. "Boy, my life sucks because (fill in the blank)," we complain.
Folks in Houston are now having to grapple with the loss of two great blessings most of us blithely take for granted, but billions in the rest of the world lack: safe, convenient, on-demand drinking water, public sewage systems that let us eliminate at will, flush it and forget it.
The August 2017 National Geographic has an article titled "A Place to Go." We Americans should read it and open our eyes. Poor people worldwide must daily visit streams, ponds, lakes and communal wells to haul water home. Too often this water is contaminated due to au naturel waste elimination with local populations using village pit toilets, road-side ditches or fields.
So, the next time you're enjoying a drink from your kitchen tap, perhaps say a little prayer of gratitude for these blessings, and bite your tongue before whining about a perceived hardship such as a water or sewer bill.
Thomas Rodgers
Dayton, Tenn.
Tax move looks like bait/switch
County Mayor Jim Coppinger's attempt to raise taxes does not inspire confidence that the money will be put to good use.
If the hike could bear scrutiny, why not pass it with the rest of the budget instead of springing it on taxpayers afterwards? Aside from the twin facts that property developers who build should pay for any required water treatment plants, and that taxpayers want to see schools Superintendent Bryan Johnson prove his ability before cutting him a $100 million check, the lack of transparency here is appalling.
The mayor's talk about "our responsibility" rings hollow to the citizens he just bait-and-switched. It is not our responsibility to hand enormous sums of taxpayer money to a superintendent whose tenure is measured in weeks instead of years and to a school board that has proven it can't educate our children effectively.
Charles McCullough
Please support mayor's tax plan
I want to support Mayor Jim Coppinger's plan to maintain the current property tax millage rate. No one likes higher taxes. But when I can see the money not being wasted, I am 100 percent for it. The county has lagged behind in practically every phase of government. One reason for the overcrowding at the jail is our education system. I urge Commissioner Randy Fairbanks and other commissioners to vote for this plan to upgrade our school system and give Superintendent Bryan Johnson what he needs. Mayor Coppinger has been very conservative with county money. I am sure this was not an easy decision for him, but certainly necessary. Thank you.
Steve Slater
Soddy-Daisy