'Americans don't respect future' and more Letters to the Editors

Americans don't respect future

On Nov. 7, there was a column by Walter Williams that said, "Today's Americans have betrayed the values that made us a great nation, and that does not bode well for future generations." I strongly support this statement because I believe America has acted selfishly in its political sentiments. No matter who is in office, I feel it is obvious that many Americans do not have the future in mind. Remaining apathetic about the decisions our country makes or even going so far as to make a decision but an uninformed one is disrespectful to our future.

People have a reason for their level of involvement in politics and many are justifiable, but the one that breathes of ignorance is a slap in the face to every other citizen in this nation. Be involved. Be knowledgeable. Be responsible. You only have one life on this earth. Make it mean something.

AVERY McKINNEY

Collegedale


Case against fracking is weak

A letter's claims (Nov. 9) concerning the problems associated with hydraulic fracturing are wildly exaggerated. The citation of only one case study by an obscure environmental organization, the results of which are obviously skewed in favor of their view, is ludicrous. There has not been one proven instance of tap water in the U.S. being made flammable that can be linked to fracking.

On top of that, the vast majority of the upper Devonian shales of the Appalachian Basin, notably the Chattanooga shale, are at depths that are greater than the freshwater aquifers from which we obtain our drinking water, and are hydraulically isolated from them. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, these shales contain 12.2 trillion cubic feet of badly needed natural gas which will help us overcome our dependence on foreign fossil fuels and help our economy to recover in spite of the current administration's insistence on pursuing prohibitively expensive "alternative" energy boondoggles like solar and wind.

It has not been proven that fracking does as much damage as environmentalists claim it does, and it has been proven that it provides us an economically feasible way to get at the vast, dependable energy reserves that we have.

RICHARD W. SHULTZ


Lessons of wisdom are important too

Era after era has changed, and this era is one in which we hope all our kids go to high school and college.

However, I think we must teach things that show wisdom. Things we learned from the era that didn't go to college and often didn't finish grammar school.

A balance of textbooks and wisdom is hard to pass along, but wisdom or "street smarts" is equally important. Lots of our ancestors worked hard in a different way. Some on farms, or raising siblings, others working at 12 as delivery boys.

My grandfather worked several jobs through the Depression and always said the neatest life lessons like, "Just do your best and then you know that it's all you can do."

Once you've given your all, be proud whether you got an A-plus or a D-minus. Maybe it meant you divorced or stayed together, but whatever it meant it helped me just as much as textbooks.

Another older woman I'm friends with pointed out she decided to take her dishwasher out. She said there's something about having her grandkids learn hand-washing dishes. Probably the responsibility or the routine she was raised with.

All these lessons of wisdom are just as important as the education we learn in school, sometimes more.

CHRISTINE DIWAN

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