Traverse City Record-Eagle

Your Views

March 18, 2012

Letters to the editor: 03/18/2012

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School funding shameful

Kelly Hall is spot on in her March 4 critique of the "unabashed discrimination" that passes for school funding in Michigan.

The only thing more shameful than Traverse City Area Public Schools students receiving only half the funding of the highest-funded schools, however, is the fact that many schools (around half of them in the state) receive less funding than even TCAPS.

As a product of Traverse City schools, I am saddened to hear of programs being cut each year.

As a teacher in a deprived, inner-city neighborhood in London, I am appalled to imagine the conditions in the poorest American schools.

In my current school, each of our pupils receives comparable government funding as in other, wealthier places in the UK.

In fact, we receive more per pupil, in recognition that we must provide a number of additional services.

I cannot imagine what it would be like to work in a similarly challenging American school and have to worry about funding as well.

School funding certainly is the "biggest civil rights violation in the state of Michigan" — and across the U.S.

When are we going to truly Leave No Child Behind and put our money where our mouths are?

Caitlin Prentice

London, England

Something wrong here

What if two days each month we would drive 5 mph below the speed limit, save energy?

What if rather than protesting, we would volunteer to help those in need?

Some say they should pay more taxes. Give this money instead to the local charities or for Social Security to replace the money the government has taken and left us with an IOU.

We know that the government will spend every dollar we give them for their pet projects. We have givers and takers.

The government has spent billions of dollars to eliminate poverty; didn't work.

Formed the Department of Education to fix that problem; didn't work.

Formed the Department of Energy to fix that problem; didn't work.

Obama says, all kids should have a college education.

In Detroit, of the kids going into the ninth grade, less than 50 percent will graduate. Something is wrong here.

Yes, the Gas Man is correct. Obama did nothing to increase oil production.

President Bush signed those leases when he was in office or we would not have that increase in production. I suggest that the gentleman listen to a different channel, perhaps Fox or C-Span instead of NBC, CBS or ABC.

Al Fasel

Traverse City

Important to say thanks

I'm an independent widow. I believe in taking care of myself. Nevertheless, I was pleased to find the Benzie County Sheriff's deputy knocking on my window to see if I was managing during our recent snow emergency. A call from my niece downstate had alerted him. I was without power and couldn't come out of my home as my road (private) was not yet plowed.

I'm proud to live in Benzie County, where people are personally generous and support many groups to help those in need. I'm also proud of the service providers who take care of our communal needs: police, firefighters, teachers, health care and human services workers, road maintenance staff, elected officials, etc.

We must continue to support both the individual and community efforts that keep this a desirable place to live.

We cannot live comfortable lives if we know that some members of our community are suffering.

It's important to say thank you and recognize their work. It's also essential to remember this when we go to the polls.

We must pay for the life-saving services we have. We cannot have good services if we do not pay the taxes necessary to keep them operating.

Beverly G. Toomey

Frankfort

Fossil fuel abundance

"Rant not analysis," sounds like the pot calling the pan black. The March 12 letter in which Warren Call criticized the "Gasman" (columnist Steve Sutherland) was quick to point fingers yet (he) had few true facts of his own. From obtaining exploration leases to the refinery to pumping it into your Edsel at the neighborhood speed mart takes years.

That being said, I seriously doubt that the Obama administration had much to do with the 12 percent increase in domestic production in 31/2 years in office.

We need to produce more reliable supplies here rather than depending on the Arabs.

This is certainly an inopportune time for Obama to be penalizing jobless Americans by throwing up government roadblocks to help drive up energy cost to promote his greenie-weenie agenda.

Gas prices of $2.50 per gallon would be a game changer for us (U.S.).

At some point in time we need to clean up yet still use our fossil fuel abundance in this country.

I hate to sound like a broken record here, but "The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they are ignorant, but that they know so much that isn't so" — Ronald Reagan.

Jerry L. Brugh

Traverse City

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