Voicemail (July 26, 2007)

The book Cool Careers for Dummies by Marty Nemko and Paul and Sarah Edwards contains perhaps the most offensive statement about Knoxville that I’ve ever read. On page 195, in an excerpt from an actual letter written by an employee of Home & Garden Network, it reads:

“I knew I shouldn’t have left New York for Knoxville. I love big-city life, from Scribners to Chinatown, but it was so tempting:  sales manager for the Home & Garden Network in its crucial start-up phase. I figured that I could be happy anywhere, so I moved myself and my dog to the most Southern, backwoods small city you can imagine. Culture in Knoxville is the Star Spangled Banner at the University of Tennessee football game. After two years in the old South, I want out!”

Reading this infuriated me, so I e-mailed Mr. Nemko with examples of culture in Knoxville and let him know how offensive this Knoxvillian found the passage to be. His response to me was:

“Better to offend with a person’s truth than to anesthetize with fiction.”

As far as I know, this book is still in print, and still contains the offensive passage. He even has a slightly altered version of it on his Web site.

His e-mail address is mnemko@comcast.net

Let’s unleash an army of proud Knoxvillians on him!

I was a student at Pellissippi State and finished with an Associates of Science degree with Phi Theta Kappa honors and wanted to continue at UT to receive a degree in child psychology. I attended UT from 2002-2006 and never received anything but bills. I am a student with disabilities and go to school through Voc Rehab with Connie Miller as my worker, and she is great and very supportive. When I first went to UT, Shannon Crabtree told me I didn’t belong there on my first day. I became angry with her comment and told her it was she who didn’t belong.

Because of my outburst of emotions, I was forced to be retested by UT’s psychologist, who found what everyone else has found. I am dyslexic, I have disassociative disorder and depression. I had teachers at UT say they didn’t believe in dyslexia and nothing was wrong with me because I am smart and able to overcome any obstacle.

But UT messed up my academic history and worse. One teacher even called me a cheater and had me failed and put me through hell with student misconduct on my permanent record. I was also told I had notetakers who were paid students, but they never gave me my notes. They took them to the disabilities office where they were lost. I was told I could take my test separate from the class but only if the teacher had time, or I could sign up in time to take them through the disabilities office. That didn’t help with pop quizzes in astronomy, though, and now with a grand total of $2,500 keeping me from attending any school, I don’t know when I will ever finish. I am a single mother (my daughter’s father died when she was 2), and so if teachers weren’t hard on me for my disabilities, they were because I have a child. I also attend Roane State TECTA classes that will give me a Child Development Associate degree once UT is paid off. Until then, I work four jobs trying to pay them off, as well as EdFinancial.

Please stop UT before my daughter is old enough to attend. I don’t want this to happen to her. When I asked why this was happening, the Students with Disabilities office told me it was a breakdown in communication between them and the teachers.

My name is Bruce White. I am running in the 2nd District county commissioner race against Chuck Bolus in the Republican primary.

A little about myself: I am 51 years old and have lived in Fountain City for eight years. My wife Amy and I have three grown children: Joseph, Jonathan and Casey. I have worked at Denso Mfg. as a quality control specialist for 18 years.

I am not going to complain about what has gone on in local politics in the past; however, I believe it is time to bring a little common sense back to local government as well as the county commission.

I am going to get out and meet as many people in my district in order to see what their concerns are. It is my opinion that it is the citizens concerns that are priority, not mine. Today, too many running for office say, “I want to do this or that” or “I believe in this, or let’s do that.” I am the one candidate that will get to know the people and listen to them. I believe that listening is just as important as talking in the art of communication. We need to listen. I will be that person.  

I believe that public officials should be elected by the people. Not be appointed.

I have no conflicts of interest in Knox County or City Government.

I don’t want the title of Knox County Commissioner, I want the job.

Thank you very much.

Knox County taxpayers are being misled and given half-truths to create fear and confusion!  Special Interest Groups being led by Pete Delay, who is the president of Sherman Dixie and NOT A KNOX COUNTY RESIDENT, wants you to believe that his pipe is the only pipe to buy!  Sherman Dixie is the only company that will benefit from the proposed Knox County Ordinance.  He wants you to believe that concrete pipe is fool proof, which, in fact, it is not!  The residents in the Halls area know different.  They had RCP (Reinforced Concrete Pipe) fail on a project and create a sinkhole similar to the project on Papermill Road!

The fact of the matter is that Stormdrain Systems, which are designed by local professional, licensed engineers in our area, are using other types of pipe besides concrete.  Why??  Isn’t concrete the only material that will last “100 years”? The answer is… NO! There are materials such as PVC, plastic and yes, even CMP (Corrugated Metal Pipe) that last 100 years.  Take a look at the research provided by the U.S. ARMY CORPS of ENGINEERS!  These are field studies on metal pipe that has been in the ground for 50 years!  Proper design by a competent civil engineer will ensure the quality of the product without having the EXPENSE of RCP!

How much difference is the expense of RCP vs. CMP, plastic and PVC?  In most cases, RCP will add up to 40 percent of the cost of laying Stormdrain Systems.  Contrary to popular belief, this cost does NOT AFFECT THE DEVELOPER!  THIS COST IS TAKEN ON BY THE HOMEOWNER WHO BUYS A NEW LOT TO BUILD A HOUSE!

All pipes will eventually fail!  All pipes can have the same design life?  Why do you want to pay more for a Stormdrain System that will do the same job?

Ask your commissioners to allow the local, professional engineers in our area to be able to do their job the best way possible and allow alternatives to expensive, equivalent RCP!