He’ll take principled over unprincipled any day
To the editor:
It seems the message of Geoff Schumacher's Friday column, "The pitfalls of extremism," is "as long as we don't have any principles, we don't run the risk of violating them." I guess that's true, but I'd prefer a world of highly principled people, rather than the unprincipled world of Washington politics we've witnessed over the past half-century.
If you consider the Founding Fathers, they were far more principled than most, but when they deviated from their principles and became pragmatic (slavery) that error resulted in a Civil War. I think, contrary to the column, history shows it is the unprincipled, range-of-the-moment, majority-whim behavior that is destructive, not the principled leadership of liberty-loving leaders.
Tedd Potts
Leawood, Kan.
Don't just say no
To the editor:
Letter writer Ellen Shaw appears to have missed the mark altogether (Review-Journal, Thursday).
Ms. Shaw claims that Republicans have to regain the majority in the Senate and House, or we will never get this truck out of the ditch. But Ms. Shaw must remember that former President Clinton left former President Bush a tidy surplus in excess of $200 billion. You don't want me to tell you what former President Bush left President Obama, do you?
I believe you should find out that answer for yourself because you not only would be amazed, but hope the Democrats increase their hold in the Senate and House.
Moreover, we need members in both chambers who know something else besides "no."
R.W. Burkett
Las Vegas
Real numbers
To the editor:
As a former schoolteacher I found your Thursday headline, "May test daunts seniors" and its subtitle, "Budget cuts hurt support for students, official says," very misleading. If all I read were those headlines, I would assume that all high school seniors in the Clark County School District were all having problems graduating.
But if one looks at the chart at the bottom of Page One a very different story emerges. Although more seniors, 2,960, took the May math exam in 2010, a smaller percentage of them failed the math test. In 2010, 69.8 percent failed, while in 2009, 92.2 percent had failed. That difference also held true in the reading test. Budget cuts had obviously nothing to do with that improvement.
Additionally, it is not until Page 6A we learn that, according to Henry King of the Nevada Department of Education, "These are kids who in theory have failed the test seven times."
Additionally, Mr. King added that about half the class passed the math and science tests on their first try when they were sophomores. Budget cuts did not hurt those students.
Finally, we are told that the schools gave this group of students "incentives" such as movie tickets and restaurant coupons for doing well on the test. Maybe that was the reason for the smaller percentage of failures, or maybe some students didn't pay attention for three years until it was time for the last test.
I, for one, am tired of school administrators and teachers always complaining about budget cuts and insufficient money. Stop complaining and blaming budget cuts for student failures. Everyone these days has tightened their belts and is trying to do better with less.
It's not the money that creates high-achieving students, it's great parenting, great teachers and motivated students.
Tanya K. Metaksa
Pahrump
Just disgusted
To the editor:
To exemplify the sad state our country is in, I point to the article, "$23 billion to help save teachers jobs hits snags" (Friday Review-Journal).
After giving tens of billions to the automotive and finance sectors to provide fat-cat bonuses, our friends on Capitol Hill are "faltering about providing funds to save teacher jobs." Their reasoning: "concerns about deficit spending."
The article also referenced "lukewarm support from the president."
It is sadly obvious that Washington's priorities place Goldman-Sachs, etc., high above those who would educate our children. How disgusting.
Bob Griess
Mesquite
Different flavor
To the editor:
A recent letter writer listed all the ways NV Energy will once again ask us to "drink the Kool-Aid." At no time in the 54 years that we have been customers, have we ever benefited from all of the energy conservation measures that we have spent considerable money on.
Every year our bills are higher, and now they will go up again.
Some years back, when we put a swamp cooler back up, they changed our meter twice, convinced we were stealing power. Guess our opinion of who is the thief would be different from theirs. They hold us hostage because unlike many other areas, they are the only choice for power.
Same old Kool-Aid, different flavor.
Norm and Lois Peters
North Las Vegas
