Run heart-warming stories on front page
TFP's Dec. 5 article "Former owner reunited with 1953 Studebaker after more than 60 years" was heart-warming. It would be nice if these kinds of stories were on the front page. My wife and I had a 1949 Ford when we married that held many fond memories for us. I can imagine how Winfred Brown felt as he looked at his former Studebaker and thought of all the good times it brought him. Charlie and Hellen Attaway went to a lot of trouble to find Winfred Brown, but isn't that what kind people do? Keep these stories coming.
David A. Fuqua
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Howard Heating a blessing
I was impressed when Howard Heating and Air of Rossville came to check my unit. The service tech asked if I had changed my smoke alarm batteries. I had not, being 80 years old and unable to walk well. They changed the batteries at no cost, which could save lives, and they do that for all of their customers. What a blessing. The owners of Howard Heating and Air are people you can trust. They are honest.
Betty Armstrong, Rossville
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Erlanger CEO offers wrong fix
Well, it appears that Chattanooga has another CEO gone amok. Erlanger floats in a sea of red ink, and "Dr. Spiegel" whacks employee benefits, freezes salaries and raises, and proclaims loudly that tough times are ahead. Then he finds a multimillion-dollar untapped federal key, grabs the money and runs and announces to all that he and the "Gang of 99" all deserve raises and big fat bonuses because "they worked so hard." Bunk. The people who work hard, Mr. Spiegel, are the people on the front line giving care to your patients, not you and the "Gang of 99." They, not you, are the ones deserving of raises and bonuses. At least one member of the Erlanger board has some sense, as he suggested a three-year look at hospital finances before raises and bonuses were given. The rest of the board, Mr. Spiegel and the "Gang of 99" ought to be ashamed of themselves.
Ben Johnston
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Leave education to the educators
Being a technological genius does not mean the same thing as running a government or education institution. Money and pseudo academia have rooted out the ambition for education in the field of learning. Granted, much of our society is built by technology, and much of our economic survival and future growth depend it. There is more to human life and function than just the capability of a robot or computer. This includes all the other mind-bending gadgets and devices. Human hand-eye coordination along with thinking skills are required. Many skills can be learned without much effort. Precision skills require effort and application on the part of the learner. Thinking plus application are where the problems begin to develop. When a person reaches beyond his/her highest level of competency is called the Peter Principle. Those individual tech geniuses who want to dictate education curricula should stick to what they know and leave education to teachers, thus avoiding their own Peter Principle.
Lawrence Headrick, Tunnel Hill, Ga.
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Red Bank parade, spirit appreciated
I want to congratulate Red Bank for another successful Christmas parade on Saturday. The Red Bank Neighborhood Pride Association, the city of Red Bank, local elected officials and the Red Bank Chamber of Commerce worked together to have a wonderful parade, plus food and craft vendors. Many local groups participated in the parade, which was announced by state Rep. Richard Floyd. These days when it seems there's a lot of strife in towns across the country, it's nice to see a community that works together for all its citizens. I'm impressed with Red Bank's forward vision, and I'm glad to be part of the community.
Guy Crosson, Red Bank
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Fleischmann cited work
The Association of Tennessee Valley Governments (ATVG) represents local governments in more than 200 Tennessee Valley counties. Last week's passage of the barge fee increase marked a significant step toward securing the economic future of the Tennessee Valley and will have a positive economic impact for both the Tennessee River and Cumberland River transportation systems. For this reason, ATVG has been on record over the past 10 years for funding of the Inland Waterways System and river lock infrastructure needs. Securing sustainable funding for the Chickamauga lock has been years in the making, and without the strong repre sentation we have in Congress, this may never have happened. Sen. Alexander and Congressman Fleischmann saw a broken system. Rather than simply covering up the problem, they dug to the roots and have instituted real reform. There has been no greater champion than Fleischmann. He has worked to build coalitions to address this issue. The Inland Waterways System has been deteriorating for more than a decade. The progress he and Alexander have made in just four years exemplifies the leadership the Tennessee Valley needs.
Mike Arms, Executive Director
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Balance needed in adoption story
The Times Free Press published a front-page story about two lesbian foster parents who wanted to adopt but could not. In my view, this was poor journalism. The article was long on how the women were good moms and how traumatized the children were when removed from the home. It was short on whether the children should have been placed there at all. The real question is do children need both a dad and a mom? Research shows children are usually better off being raised by both. Works that purport to give research supporting same-sex parenting are based on small samples, often rely on self-reporting and compare children raised by same-sex couples to children of divorced families, not intact families. The question is not are the women in the story nice or committed people. The question is do kids do best with both a mom and dad? Should we promote the ideal? Should a news article give both sides? As every first-year journalism student hears, "If your mother says she loves you, check it out."
Leslie Conway Coomer Athens, Tenn.
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Soldiers say, more Moon Pies, please
The recent article about Chattanooga Bakery shipping Moon Pies to our military really touched my heart. I have been sending boxes to various groups of soldiers since 2003 and have included Moon Pies whenever possible. The responses from our soldiers have always been for more Moon Pies, please! It must be a real touch of home. Thank you, Chattanooga Bakery. With the support of my Sunday school class at First-Centenary United Methodist Church, I am able to send many more Moon Pies!
Linda V. Kelly, Hixson
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Brown not at fault for his death
A recent cartoon on the Free Press editorial page said Michael Brown was responsible for his own death. The cartoon and the decision to publish it are shockingly irresponsible. The cartoon is a disgusting, crude, thoughtless, mindless, callous, heartless and a confused understanding of responsibility. The Free Press folks will recall the biblical abomination: "To whom much is given much is required." They will recognize this as a description of responsibility. And to whom was "much given" in Ferguson, Mo.? The police, of course. In order to carry out their many responsibilities, they were given the full power of the government and training on how to invoke that power. Batons, Tasers and guns were handed out, presumably only after thorough training and testing to be sure they should have deadly weapons. And understood the importance of bringing suspects in alive. Officer Wilson created the confrontation, called for backup, then didn't wait for it. Or he could have gone to Michael's house the next day and arrested him for stealing cigarillos.
Blake Moore