Wallace nonverbal but still was gifted
Timothy Wallace's coronation came too soon in his short life of nine years. It was a joy to watch his response to the soothing music Li-Hwa and Chao-Ming Huang played on their dulcimer and Autoharp each time they visited Esther Clark's class at Griffith School in Dunlap, Tenn. Mrs. Clark was his teacher for two years.
Today, she grieves deeply over the loss of this beautiful child, whom she was blessed to provide enrichment in his development towards a better life. He was severely non-verbal but a teachable and lovable child.
His gifts for those who truly "saw" him couldn't be measured by standardized testing and other evaluative instruments.
Hats off to all those who sought to make his educational experience a worthwhile and productive one!
Esther Butler Taj, Ooltewah
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Business, wealthy don't spark economy
"Ruinous compassion" is an oxymoron within my value system and within my understanding of our economy today.
Logically, Thomas Sowell mistakes correlation for causation, and during a morning spent at a library table going over outdated material from another era in other countries, he somehow concluded governmental policy today should not require workers be paid a living wage.
Furthermore, that such requirement would be bad for the U.S. economy. Sowell's assumption that government policy should further business interests because business interests create jobs has been discredited.
Current books by the great economists of our time -- Thomas Piketty, Robert Reich and Nobel Prize winner Paul Krugman provide relevant and overwhelming evidence that negates Sowell's economic ideas.
As cost of living rises, jobs are out there, but wages are stagnant and do not sustain a necessary middle class. People work two jobs to survive.
Imagine the social, political and personal costs of that to society. It is the disappearing middle class spending money, not business interests and the wealthy, that creates a vibrant economy.
As for compassion, it is one of those words like truth, justice, liberty that are often debased by political partisans to mean its opposite.
Faye Walter, Sewanee, Tenn.
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Raising minimum wage not harmful
Those who maintain that an increase in the minimum wage will result in higher prices and unemployment should take note of results in 13 states that increased wages in 2014.
Goldman Sachs economists' evaluations of all these states found that increases in the minimum wage resulted in faster employment growth than in states with the same minimum wage.
Recent other studies relying on similar comparative methodology failed to detect any negative employment effect of higher minimum wages.
San Francisco raised the minimum wage in increments to its current $10.74, the highest of any city in the nation. Businesses have also been required to provide sick leave and health care for all employees.
According to the University of California at Berkeley, none of this has had any adverse effects on employment in San Francisco. When they increase the wage to $15 per hour in 2018, this may be detrimental to some employment.
Wal-Mart, Target and T.J.Maxx have taken the lead with their $9 minimum wage. They set the standard for all retailers.
John Bratton, Sewanee, Tenn.
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Fletcher praised for staff accountability
I would like to publicly thank Chattanooga Police Chief Fred Fletcher for his courageous stand in not tolerating poor behavior within our otherwise fine police department.
Unfortunately public confidence in law enforcement is undermined nationwide by the reputation of all being sullied by the bad apples. And unfortunately too many chiefs do not have the courage and values of our chief.
Thank you, Chief Fletcher. May their positions soon be replaced by men and women of good character.
Tucker McLelland