Writer misses value of EPA regulations
I read last Thursday’s letter to the editor titled “VW was just trying to circumvent EPA.” It apparently is an attempt to excuse VW for cheating because EPA is a idiotic agency with a legacy of banning poisons like DDT.
I suppose the letter writer (with a “Dr.” in front of his name) has never heard of, much less read, “Silent Spring.” Turns out that one of the “minor” side effects of DDT was a thinning of the shells of song bird eggs to the point that adult birds were crushing the eggs while sitting the nest. Maybe he just doesn’t like birds.
David Sharp
Highway 58 churches unite for ‘good news’
We hear of violence and bad news in Chattanooga too often. Our hearts break to see our Scenic City’s reputation being marred with these terrible incidents.
Recently, thousands of people witnessed a beautiful event in Chattanooga. Three churches on Highway 58 – St. John’s United Methodist, Mount Canaan Baptist and Bayside Baptist – joined together to present a family friendly “Trunk or Treat.” Mount Canaan Baptist was kind enough to host the event.
It was fantastic to see people of all races and socio-economic backgrounds come together to provide a positive community experience. More than 4,000 people attended. Throughout the evening, we heard comments such as “amazing,” “beautiful” and “joyful.”
What a blessing to see the people of the Highway 58 community join forces for such a fantastic event.
Praise the Lord for some good news in Chattanooga!
Katheron Latham
Harrison
Skepticism healthy on polling results
The TFP reports that a study by MTSU has determined a majority of people in this state oppose gay marriage and abortion – based on a telephone survey of 603 registered voters. Here’s my problem with this poll and so many like it:
First, there are 5,043,001 Tennesseans 18 years of age and older and of that number 3,975,587 are registered voters. That means this survey’s conclusions were based upon the opinions of less than 2 one-thousandths of a percent of Tennessee’s registered voters.
Second, the survey is skewed toward those with published phone numbers and those who answer their phones, both groups for which I expect there are some distinctive demographics. The problem with telephone and written surveys is that the answers to the questions are either yes or no, or pick one from a multiple choice of preset answers.
My point here is that the issues in our world are complex and there are no simple answers. Opinion polls seek simple answers to simplified questions from a very limited range of people, who by the method of their selection have some bias. We as citizens, and especially our elected representatives, should not rely on such personal opinion polls to drive our decisions on serious and complex issues.
Sandra McCrea
Signal Mountain