I don’t know how many Valley News readers are familiar with the Dunning-Kruger effect.
People with the Dunning-Kruger effect (which was named after the two Cornell psychologists whose studies confirmed the syndrome’s existence) suffer from a cognitive bias that prevents them from recognizing their own incompetence. In fact, not only do they lack the self-awareness to recognize their own ineptitude, they feel exaggerated confidence in their abilities. In short, if you are incompetent, it is not possible for you to recognize your own incompetence.
Just sayin’.
Charlie Buttrey
Thetford
Thank you, Nori Teller-Elsberg, for questioning authority and offering your insightful opinion in the Dec. 16 Forum, “Is Trump Fit to Serve.” I, too, ask the same questions, and if I find answers, I’ll let you know. Meanwhile, keep your eyes and ears wide open!
Maybe you read an article in the same Valley News edition headlined, “Poll: Americans Pessimistic on Trump.” The article reported that “Trump’s job approval rating sits at just 32 percent — the least popular first-year president on record.” I bet it’s due to the perfect storm of the GOP puppet-masters invoking (Naomi Klein’s) “Shock Doctrine” on our own government, and what Dr. Bandy Lee calls in her book “The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump — 27 Psychiatrists and Mental Health Experts Assess a President.”
I personally feel stuck in a state of gobsmackedness. For example, who would invite a nuclear war? Another illustration: Misunderstandings happen, so diplomacy is often employed to smooth the waters when they become choppy after egos flare. What, you say that Rex Tillerson is unconcerned that nearly 200 diplomatic positions remain unfilled?
I like my Internet like I like my country: open and free. I’ve enjoyed the bounty, beauty and rights available to citizens of this nation and “netizens” of the world wide web. I plan to continue to use the web, in spite of the FCC commissioner’s mean-spirited deregulation plans. We’re lucky we’ve got an ally on the board of trustees of the Lebanon Public Library: According to a Valley News editorial published Nov. 29, the board “voted to join the president of the American Library Association in opposing (FCC Chairman Ajit) Pai’s proposal” and urged small- and medium-sized businesses to join the battle.
Addressing the climate crisis is job No. 1. Protecting net neutrality is a close second, since its disappearance will stifle the people’s voice. Not good for a democracy!
Kevin McEvoy Leveret
White River Junction
Fourteen cats were recently found crammed into a medium-size dog crate outside a Claremont home in frigid weather.
The Sullivan County Humane Society director said the crate “was full of blood, feces and urine. It was heartbreaking.” Two people have been charged with animal cruelty. The surviving 12 cats are in a foster home for now.
According to New Hampshire law, the city of Claremont is responsible for the cost of care of animals taken into custody in cruelty cases. That means the taxpayers are obligated to foot the bill.
A cruelty case can take months to prosecute, and the animals cannot be released until the case is settled. In addition, most rescued animals need immediate and critical medical attention. So, the care could cost the city thousands of dollars.
Fortunately, the humane society has generously stepped up and taken on the financial burden of the cats’ care and medical expenses. But it does not have to, and may need to stop. Its financial resources are limited.
Those who abused the seized animals should pay the cost of the animals’ care. Twenty states, including Maine and Massachusetts, have laws that place the financial obligations of the rescued animals’ care upon the abusers, not on the city. New Hampshire should do the same. Such a bill will be considered by our state Legislature in January.
Tell your senators and representatives to support the “cost of animal care” bill. Taxpayers should not have to pay for someone else’s cruelty to animals.
Jack Hurley
Claremont
I don’t understand why the Valley News would give front-page coverage to the cruel practice of trapping, which subjects animals to slow and excruciatingly painful deaths (“On the Hunt,” Dec. 16). Hopefully, the fisher cats and coyotes for whom the traps are intended are safely ensconced in their burrows beneath the snow.
Deborah Metzger
Hanover