Letters to the Editors: Find statesmen to lead America

Friday, January 1, 1904

Find statesmen to lead America

I always have maintained that the difference between a politician and a statesman is that the politician thinks of the next election while the statesman thinks of the next generation.

The election for U.S. House of Representatives, the United States Senate, and, yes, the office of the president of the United States has degenerated into ordinary fine candidates being goaded on by their political leeches into saying things that if they were in their right minds they wouldn't think of saying.

Their political ideology is so thin that I doubt that there contains an original thought in their entire gray matter (or so it appears anyway).

If by some divine act of Providence we could get rid of Republicans, Democrats and tea party and hire some good candidates, like any other big business does, we would guarantee success and this would be fine by me.

To be sure, America is a thousand times bigger than the Republican, Democratic and tea parties. Let's get back to finding statesmen. We Americans are not as dumb as you politicians think we are.

W. LEROY FANNING

Trenton, Ga.

Church has ceded on moral issues

All this fuss over our emperor's recent edict that Catholic institutions provide birth control? You knew this was coming, Obama's win is due to Catholic efforts in 2008. He is your president.

Catholics overwhelmingly voted for him (54 percent) even though they knew he was pro-choice. And most Catholic hospitals endorsed Obama's health care plan when it was proposed.

Well, you've made your bed, now go lie in it.

But the furor is more surprising because the church has long ago ceded its higher ground on moral issues. Notice how quiet the hierarchy has been regarding "Catholic" politicians such as Dodd, Pelosi, Biden, Kerry and others.

Quite simply, the church is statistically insignificant in America on moral issues.

Catholic women get abortions and use birth control at the same rate as the general population.

The church and the Republican Party should have learned the same lesson, but they have not: When you try to attract the opposition by becoming more like them, all you do is vindicate them and they stay where they are, while you lose your most ardent supporters.

LAWRENCE G. MARTIN

Cartoon shows right's beliefs

If the editorial cartoon on Feb. 14 on the "right" side had been drawn by Mr. Clay Bennett your mailbag would be full of rage such as:

"That man has no respect for Christianity! How dare publish such a disgraceful caricature of Moses. And then to insult the sacredness of the Ten Commandments."

Not surprising there won't be any comments because this cartoon is what the far right believes. What is amazing is not their hypocrisy but that they can write. They even get to vote with a photo ID.

GEORGE DUNCAN

Rossville, Ga.

Pipeline would leave wasteland

I am so sick of hearing about the proposed oil pipeline to be constructed from Canada all the way through our Midwest, which will supposedly solve our unemployment problem.

Not sure where the refineries are to refine this surplus of oil.

Has a poll been conducted to find out how many out-of-work people are willing to move to this territory, which will be a wasteland eventually?

The idea seems to be that those who have lost jobs will pick up and move immediately to take jobs they are unprepared for rather than lower-paying jobs in their area.

I am proud of President Obama for taking a brave stand and defending the environment which he pledged to do before the election.

After ranches, farms, forests, etc. are gone, where is a lot of our food coming from?

Is no one concerned about our children's and grandchildren's future, when we cannot feed ourselves, despite the destroying of much of our country. Strict immigration laws have already prevented farmers in some Southern states from growing their accustomed crops. They can find no workers.

Hasn't BP Oil ruined enough of our natural resources, which can never be recovered, despite their millions? Enough!

MARIANNE W. DOUGLAS

Look to future with STEM education

Tennessee engineers solve all kinds of problems. They work every day to design better water systems, computers, highways, buildings, manufacturing operations, cars, communication networks, and much more.

Recently in our city, engineers have solved environmental clean-up problems, prepared a site to welcome Volkswagen, overcame storm water drainage challenges, and designed highways to keep traffic on the move.

Engineers Week is observed Feb. 19-25. It is an appropriate time to call upon all elected leaders, policy makers, and educators to support STEM education -- science, technology, engineering and math. The engineers who will solve future problems through innovative design solutions are in our elementary, middle school and high school classrooms. Their knowledge, skills and creativity will be crucial in meeting the future needs of our city and surrounding communities.

I urge all Chattanooga business and community leaders to get behind STEM education. Speak up in support of STEM whenever education priorities and budgets are discussed, whether in Chattanooga, our state Capitol or Washington, D.C. Engineering talent is essential to building a strong, safe and secure future for all of us.

BILL JOHNSON ARCADIS

President,

Southeast Chapter of the American Council of Engineering Companies of Tennessee

Ticket leaves bad impression

We received a UTC parking ticket while on vacation in Chattanooga last week.

We reside in Nashville and came to Chattanooga to visit the Aquarium and Children's Discovery Museum with our three children.

On Jan. 30, we ate dinner at the Yellow Deli. It was very dark, and we didn't see the parking sign for the lot beside the deli. In fact, I am quite certain that we have parked there before with an attendant sitting on a chair in the lot in years past. I apologize for illegally taking a university spot at dinner time. Our 84-year-old grandmother was with us and we parked as close as possible to accommodate her mobility issues.

We enjoyed our stay in Chattanooga and would like to come back but we will stay well away from any university buildings or parking lots.

It is a shame that a city that works so hard to attract tourists also works so hard to discourage them from the beautiful campus areas. We appreciate the efforts that have gone into restoring the historic campus houses and the care and thought put into preserving the nearby churches and common buildings.

This ticket did not go far in leaving a good impression with us.

CHRISTOPHER ELLER

White House, Tenn.

Haynes leads with integrity

Please join me in electing Marty Haynes as county commissioner for District 3. 1 have known Marty since high school and appreciate his hands-on approach to working with others and solving problems. Marty is his own man and will lead with integrity and honesty.

Much has been said by Marty's opponent about annexation and discretionary spending during this race. Marty has taken a strong stance against annexation. Marty has stated all of his discretionary expenses would be posted on his website with the date and amount the check was written to each school. This is the only comment he has ever made on this subject. Honest

and open government is what we can expect from Marty Haynes.

More recently with the unfortunate passing of Judge Bob Moon and the vacancy in the Sessions Court -- Mr. McClure was quoted as saying in spite of there being a front runner, others should submit their names and not be discouraged because "there might be other opportunities" for appointments down the road. In other words, I have already made up my mind.

The people of District 3 need someone who will represent all of District 3. Marty Haynes is clearly the better choice.

GREG MARTIN

Hixson