Jason Sandford
Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.
Here’s a letter from U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler to Google. In it, Shuler makes the case for why Google should build a high-speed fiber network in Asheville.
The problem is the letter contains a spelling error, and isn’t that well-written. I’m hoping the misspelling just make it to the web and not to Google proper. I’m bad for typos, but I know to take a little extra care when I’m writing an important letter.
Dear Google Representatives,
It has never been more true, than it is today, that data is where rubber meets the road in today’s economy. No one understands this better than Google. As this data giant in the technology world embarks on an ambitious experiment to test ultra-high speed networks in selected trial locations across the country I wanted to share a few thoughts on why I believe Asheville, NC would be an excellent municipality to use as a test location.
We are a face paced community in the most beautiful region in the entire country. Asheville and the surrounding area continues to attract the best and brightest from across the world to live here, vacation here and to live out their retirement dreams. If Asheville were to be awarded this initiative we could share with the rest of the nation the innovation that takes place here daily.
The Asheville area is home to a number of excellent colleges and universities churning out bright, talented students, who we would like to employ within the area from graduation through their prime earning years. Asheville is also home ot the National Climatic Data Center, which houses the world’s largest repository of climate data. The ability to deliver this data all over the world using Google’s technology would not just benefit Western North Carolina but the world as we continue to struggle globally with climate issues.
Asheville has the entrepreneurs, innovators, data and foundation to rapidly deploy and test Google’s desire to learn what we can innovate using gigabit speeds to the home. For these reasons, as well as many others, I am asking Google to consider Asheville and Western North Carolina for this initiative. Our communities are ready to work with you to foster this innovation quickly.
If I can be of any further assistance to you or provide you with additional information on the Western North Carolina community, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
Heath Shuler
MEMBER OF CONGRESS
11th District, North Carolina
In case you are not aware, a congressman has a rather large staff to handle all the correspondence that flows into his/her office. If he is a good delegator, Heath would probably have told his assistant to draft a letter to Google and send it. And Google understands how letters from congressmen are written. Heath probably did not even see the letter, did not sign it, and probably is snickering at the hub-bub this assistant’s mistakes created. It was merely an obligatory letter, part of a congressman’s resposibility. It just means the assistant probably will not get a merit raise come evaluation time. This does not mean a thing to the people who count – just another of those little things that little people can pick apart to make themselves feel big. Get a life.
Is this entire blaze set against Shuler based on the misspelling of the word "to"? If so, I would ask you guys to PLEASE get some lives. I think the guy deserves the position about as much as a cat deserves to drive a car, but I’m not going to sink THAT low. If there is something else, can someone please point it out? Hell, you guys must have NEVER seen what book editors deal with. You’d eat your own words if you knew how "dumb" some of your favorite authors can be.
Hi folks,
Like Clark says, we need endorsements. We also need your nominations. Please take 5 and go over to http://googleavl.com/ and Nominate Asheville please. Thanks.
The letter was very poorly written. The spelling error is just icing on the cake.
That spelling error was made when the letter was transcribed for googleavl.com and was not in Shuler’s letter to Google. It has since been corrected on the googelavl.com site. So ease up, at least a bit, and feel the love. 🙂 Endorsements are a good thing.
Not a star on the athletic field, not a star in politics, and apparently not a star in English class. Please tell me this is a draft written by a 10th grader.
dear mr. google-
we’s here in da mountins need more gigBITS for our internets.
xoxo- heath
Well, good grief. No, it’s not Pulitzer-prize winning writing. But it’s not a freakin’ Google essay contest. He took the time to write a letter seeking something beneficial for his constituents – what an illiterate, colossal jerk. Geez, why couldn’t he have just gone and played a round of golf instead, or spent staff funds on hiring Peggy Noonan to write his Google letter? Jerk. Guess what? Google’s full of techies who wouldn’t know good writing if it slapped them in the face. And guess what else? Google already KNOWS where Fiber is going, or at least has a short list. Once it got to Google, this letter probably went where most letters you write your Congressional representatives go… in a big ol’ pile to be filed away by an intern. Have you given your high horses names yet? Geez.
OMG! This is such a pathetic letter. Fitting for a man who voted against health care reform. I’ll bet even former Rep. Charles Taylor could have done much better than this embarrassing reflection of Western NC.
I’m sure the folks at Google have already written off Asheville’s attempt for this service.
maybe he meant face book paced?
I guess I did let you get too many concussions.
That is so embarrassing. It is like a 4th grader telling his teacher what he wants for Christmas and why.
Maybe Google will pity us.
How totally embarrassing to have a poorly written letter like sent this from our congressman!