Oak Ridge Today

Letter: Anderson County needs civility, Gooch the model

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To the Editor:

Early voting began last week, and there’s a clear choice on the ballot for Anderson County mayor—one candidate who is open to input and reasonable discourse on issues, and another whose opening line in a recent opinion column was, “If I hear the word civility one more time, I’ll puke” (Terry Frank, Knoxville Journal, Jan. 28, 2011).

I would hate for anyone to be sick on the courthouse floor, as Anderson County is home to a very diverse group of people, and civility is something of a necessity to get anything positive accomplished.

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Letter: Baughn the right person for City Council

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To the Editor:

As Election Day approaches, our thoughts turn to: Who can help to make our community the best community possible?

Many people work diligently at that objective, but today one stands out above all in focusing on our greatest needs. That is Oak Ridge’s competitiveness, financial stability, and its goal of being a high-quality affordable community.

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Guest column: Social justice not among nation’s founding principles

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John Ragan

John Ragan

The Declaration of Independence, in its first paragraph, boldly asserts that America should be a separate nation based upon “the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God.” In the very next paragraph, the text posits, as a self-evident truth, that “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights,” including life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

No place in our nation’s founding documents is the phrase “social justice” to be found. Nowhere is it cited as a divinely endowed right.

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Letter: Iwanski ‘accomplishments,’ forum no-show illustrate ‘incompetence’

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To the Editor:

The League of Women Voters hosted another excellent forum for our local candidates Tuesday night in Clinton.

Unfortunately, one candidate, Acting Mayor Myron Iwanski, decided he had better things to do with his time and “went fishing.” At least that is the excuse that was read in a prepared statement by his surrogate.

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Letter: Gooch the only logical choice for mayor

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To the Editor:

During a 1980 Presidential debate, candidate Ronald Reagan famously said to President Jimmy Carter, “There you go again,” changing that election completely.

That’s exactly how I felt when I read Alex Moseley’s letter to the editor. Alex, there you go again, trying to turn an important local election here in Anderson County into some great referendum on the liberal/conservative divide.

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Guest column advocates for sustainable country

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Last fall, I entered into a graduate school program for Infrastructure Planning and Management.

The gist of it is that we have critical infrastructure in our country (energy, water, transportation, cyber security/communications, public health, and food), and every sector is in drastic need of attention before we experience catastrophic failure. (Think Hurricane Katrina.)

It is argued that this is a severe vulnerability to our national security … and I would agree.

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Letter: One logical choice for Anderson County mayor

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To the Editor:

I have learned that a little research on candidates can help us avoid a great deal of frustration later.

Terry Frank is indeed the only logical choice for the position. Mrs. Frank is the only one on the ballot who has stood by conservative principles throughout her public career. She has operated a family business in Anderson County for many years. Terry even went to Washington and testified before Congress on behalf of our area’s small business owners.

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Guest column: Alexander supports Manhattan Project park in Oak Ridge

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U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander

Lamar Alexander

The Manhattan Project is one of the most significant events in American history, and according to some historians, it is the single most significant event of the 20th Century.

In 2004, I joined Sen. Jeff Bingaman as a cosponsor of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park Study Act, which directed the Department of Interior to conduct a study of the Manhattan Project sites to determine the feasibility of including the sites in the National Park System.

In 2011, Ken Salazar, Secretary of the Department of the Interior, recommended the creation of a Manhattan Project National Historical Park with units at Oak Ridge, Tenn.; Los Alamos, N.M., and Hanford, Wash. According to Secretary Salazar, “The Manhattan Project ushered in the Atomic Age, changed the role of the United States in the world community, and set the stage for the Cold War.”

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Fire chief explains fireworks policy

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Fireworks are devices consisting of a combination of explosives and combustibles, set off to generate colored lights, smoke, and noise for amusement. The explosives or combustibles are used for display.

Of ancient Chinese origin, fireworks evidently developed out of military rockets and explosive missiles and accompanied the spread of military explosives westward to Europe in the Middle Ages.

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Baughn: Let’s lower the property tax rate

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Trina Baughn

Trina Baughn

The future of Oak Ridge is entirely dependent upon our ability to attract new residents and businesses. To do that, we must first acknowledge an unspoken truth: Outsiders view Oak Ridge as being too expensive. We must work to change that. Oak Ridge must become competitive.

Why do people say that it costs so much to live and work in Oak Ridge? What I hear is that our leases, properties, gas, and even our groceries, all cost more than our neighboring communities. I haven’t verified that to be the case, but those are things that the city government can’t (and shouldn’t) control.

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Iwanski proposes solution to budget standoff over jailers, taxes

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Editor’s note: Anderson County Interim Mayor Myron Iwanski has proposed a solution to a budget standoff between county officials who don’t want to raise taxes and Sheriff Paul White, who says he needs at least 13 jailers to open a 128-bed minimum security dormitory. Here’s the proposal that Iwanski sent to county commissioners and staff members on Wednesday.

After last night’s meeting, I had a chance to talk to some of you, Sheriff White, and Avery Johnson about the sheriff’s budget. Based on your, the sheriff’s, and Avery’s input, I would like to offer a no-tax-increase solution for the sheriff’s budget that will allow the jail dormitory to be open and also address the longer term jail expansion staffing needs.

My proposal authorizes the sheriff to hire the 13 jailers he said he needs to open the new dormitory—but has some conditions that County Commission and the sheriff would need to agree to for us to do it in a fiscally responsible way.

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Oak Ridge Today adds guest columns

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Oak Ridge Today has added the ability to post guest columns.

Our inaugural column is from Tennessee Rep. John Ragan, an Oak Ridge Republican. It’s a speech he gave Saturday endorsing business owner Terry Frank, a Clinton Republican, for Anderson County mayor.

If you have a guest column you’d like to submit, please send it to news@oakridgetoday.com.

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