Provide services to aid those in need
Re: David Cook's article (Aug. 26) on the "gang member" who would stop breaking into houses if only there were jobs: I was beyond livid, especially since my family and I were victims of a robbery ourselves. With my work hours shortened, I also was in a bad situation, but I didn't go stealing people's belongings to make ends meet. I did without.
I value those who have a heart for these types of people and want to get them a job, but a job is not going to change character.
Who would hire someone with a history of stealing? After the shock by the "delightful" way this thoughtless, selfish individual was portrayed, I realized that we do need to help those lost souls. They could be lost spiritually, but definitely lost morally.
I have pondered on this for days and I realized to help these individuals we must provide services. Services with mandatory meetings where they are taught to place themselves in another's place, teaching them empathy, tutoring on subjects they may need help in and preparing them for the workplace.
They need to earn the good things in life; that is how they will prosper.
SONIA DYKSTRA, Hixson
Paper must correct grammar, spelling
The large number of spelling and grammatical errors in your newspaper has frustrated me lately. Recently, several writers used "on" for "of" and vice versa. True, they are both actual words so spell-check programs don't catch them, but don't you have proofreaders any more?
More troubling is the frequency with which your staff writers interchange "its" (a possessive) and "it's" (a contraction of a noun and a verb). Let me give your writers a tip: When you've written "it's," just re-read the sentence saying "it is" instead. If it makes sense, it's correct. If it doesn't make sense, it's supposed to be "its." That's because you need a possessive, as in "The dog scratched its ear." I realize a dog scratching its ear isn't newsworthy, but it's a good example of the way to use "its."
What finally brought me to my computer on Sept. 3 was reading your glaring headline on page 3 of the main section: "Doubts dogged dispondent Michael Jackson." Guess what? My computer caught that as I typed it in this letter! If your headline writer had read the first two paragraphs of the article, he (or she) would have known how to spell "despondent!"
Please, teach someone there how to proofread!
SUSAN LEA, Chickamauga, Ga.
Move indoors disappointing
Sorry to see the Thursday night Democratic National Convention was moved inside. I was anxious to see President Obama walk on water.
JOHN ROSE, Signal Mountain