Letters To The Editor

EDUCATION

Poor education not fault of taxpayers

After Bonner County voters rejected a $3 million levy, school board trustee Willard Osmunson said, “I would expect people to value their children and education more.” (The Handle, June 6)

This tactic of putting guilt onto the taxpaying public for failures of American schools is typical of the education system. A Brooking Institution study recently concluded “When other relevant factors are taken into account, economic resources are unrelated to student achievement.” Declining test scores come during a period of increased expenditures.

Coeur d’Alene is a prime example. In the Coeur d’Alene School District, the majority of elementary schools scored 10 percent or below in math computation on last spring’s Iowa Test. The district claimed the test wasn’t accurate in assessing the “critical thinking” skills students are now being taught.

This spring the district opted to take a statewide math assessment which included “critical thinking” skills. Only 17 percent of students proved proficient. After seeing these results, the superintendent of elementary education responded by saying “We need to seriously look at the test and see if that test is accurately depicting our children’s math skills.”

It appears that this district is teaching neither math computation or “critical thinking” skills. So what are they teaching?

Not all parents are deceived by A’s on report cards, grade inflation from “dumbed down” curriculums. With Coeur d’Alene having its own difficulty in passing a levy for a new middle school, I would suggest cutting administrative waste and increase the scholastic performance of our students. Stop blaming the taxpayers and poorly designed tests for students’ low levels of performance. S.M. Marks Hayden Lake

Schools need to tighten belts

Without being overly wordy, let me say to the Bonner County School District and the current members of the school board: keep out of my pocket.

Try to live, as I have to, within your budget for the year. If you don’t have the money in hand, don’t buy it and don’t put me in debt for it by borrowing. Remember, this is the taxpayers’ money, not yours.

I’d appreciate you not taxing me out of house and home just to turn out substandard “graduates” that mostly cannot spell or do simple arithmetic.

I’m sick to death of you bureaucrats spending my money as if it were Monopoly play money and you didn’t have to account for it.

Quit lying to me about where the money goes. In short, get your act together and don’t come looking for another levy handout later this year. I won’t be any more inclined to give it to you then as I was this last time. Robert Dixon Sandpoint

IN THE PAPER

God and Oliveria - quite a pair

D.F. Oliveria’s recent “Hot Potatoes” column did more to reveal the writer’s own double standards than it did Clinton’s.

He faults President Clinton for supporting tougher terrorism laws to combat what Oliveria describes as the “neo-dissidents” on the right. Oliveria, doesn’t let facts, history or logic interfere with his near religious zeal to attack politicians he doesn’t like.

Rather than criticize the political view, D.F. takes the low road, attacks the person, and foists his own personal judgments as “history.” For instance, Clinton is described as “a former draft dodger” - somehow disqualifying him, in Oliveria’s view, in the whole domestic terrorism discourse.

But is Oliveria’s statement a historical fact and relevant to something? If it’s both, perhaps Oliveria could explain when Clinton was charged, indicted, tried and convicted of “draft dodging,” or why this matters 25 years later.

If Oliveria wishes to indict by interpretation, let’s consider the case of ex-Vice President Dan Quayle, one of Oliveria’s darlings. D.F.’s “sniffling” about Clinton rings hollow given the course, D.F.’s criticism of Clinton on this point only applies if you don’t like the guy’s politics.

Let it rest, or at least apply your tenets evenhandedly. I used to look forward to reading “Huckleberries,” but his new-found editorial status has increasingly resulted in judgmental and mean-spirited personal attacks, rather than enthusiastic, thoughtful political discourse.

Witness his comments in one state political race wherein he described the personal wandering of one candidate as an “unholy alliance” with a woman he characterized as a “turtledove.”

No one has a window into another person’s soul, except perhaps God - and now D.F. Oliveria. That’s pretty exclusive company. David A. Saraceno Coeur d’Alene

Stories need a positive spin

Your front page feature story on June 5 was headlined “Don’t obey law” Liddy tells gun rally.

The Spokesman-Review reports the response of “about 2,000 gun owners” and implies a connection between “anti-government terrorists with ties to the right-wing militia movement.” Another way to report this story in a positive way would be “More than 250 million Americans did not attend a rally hosted by a former Watergate burglar, about 2,000 (plus or minus) gun owners did.”

Also on the front page was an article headlined “Gene transplant creates gay flies.” Another way to report this story would be “Flies who do not wish to be gay should avoid taking the gene transplant.”

For a modest salary, I would be pleased to be employed by The Spokesman-Review as a rewrite consultant to put a more positive spin on negative articles. D.B. Morrison Spokane

OTHER TOPICS

Tragedy shows what is important

I am sitting at my computer with a thousand thoughts and wondering where to start first.

My mind has been filled with Christina Finney, yet I never had the privilege to meet her or her family. There has been too many times to count, in the past few days, when I will stop in the middle of what I am doing and think of this young child that was taken away from all the people who loved her.

This tragedy has made me realize how so many of us believe we have such insurmountable problems. How bad can our problems be when you think of a family that has lost their daughter in what should be the best years of her life?

My husband and I recently lost our business after years of dreams and hard work. Since Christina’s death our loss seems so unimportant. Thinking of her and her family has made me more determined than ever to continue to strive towards our goals.

I thank God every day for a loving husband, two terrific stepchildren and a mother who is the best on Earth.

Christina, I may have never had the honor to meet you but you have made an impact on my life and I want to thank you. Cheryl Bower Post Falls

Senators were less than civil

I am inviting readers to assist me in understanding what Sens. Dirk Kempthorne, Larry Craig, and Slade Gorton were up to June 3 at the public hearing on the Endangered Species Act in Lewiston.

The public behaved rationally and civilly throughout the day. However, Sens. Craig, Kempthorne and Gorton, who made the decisions as to how the hearing would be conducted, were not civil. In fact, they chose to violate the civil rights of every single member of the public who wished to attend the hearing.

The senators had agents conduct a body search of everyone and search everyone’s personal belongings, confiscating certain items. The media stated that agents at the site were FBI and CIA.

A “highly dangerous” Ziploc bag of mini shredded wheat and a small plastic bottle of water were confiscated from my purse. An elderly woman had bits of food and juice confiscated from her purse and when she objected because she is a diabetic the agent demanded that she show medical proof. She left because she was demoralized by such treatment at the hands of our elected officials.

I’ve never before attended a public hearing in which this despicable treatment occurred - have you? Were Kempthorne, Craig and Gorton attempting/hoping to engineer “an incident” or are these three elected officials just paranoid cowards?

What do you think? If you’re thinking what I’m thinking, let’s all find something more frightening than shredded wheat to brandish at these three stooges - let’s use our votes. Susan Smith Coeur d’Alene

A sad day in America

It’s a sad day in America when we can no longer teach our children to use the word “patriot” - even though we love our country, and our family and friends have died preserving it - for fear of being called “hate groups.”

It’s a sad day in America when we can no longer teach our children to use the word “constitutionalist” - even though our ancestors sacrificed and even died preserving our freedom - for fear of being called “supremacist/ separatist.”

It’s a sad day in America when we can no longer teach our children to use the word “Christian” - even though we believe in God - for fear of being linked with one of those other “bad words.”

Maybe Idahoans should be embarrassed to have an “alcoholic,” “homosexual,” “ex-Catholic priest,” holding rallies in small North Idaho towns. Jackie Brown Naples, Idaho

Tax structure needs overhaul

Property taxes have become a sinister tool to squeeze under the cover of legality excessive amounts of money from average citizens.

Their levels, deliberately pushed up, are immoral and cause immense hardships, destitution, even homelessness and desperation. They are, in their present form, one of the contributors to the widespread abhorrence of government.

There are two main reasons for this abhorrence: the impression that there seems to be no end to governmental waste (arrogance), verified almost each time neutral, objective research of governmental spending is done; and secondly, the fact that price increases of some properties - caused by real estate speculators and often enhanced through governmental assistance - is used shamelessly to increase through blanket assessment boosts all other non-involved properties. (This incidentally is also one cause of inflation.)

The necessary changes to ensure now justice for all are: 1) return assessments to 1991 levels; 2) sold and/or upgraded properties (through contracts with professional builders) will be assessed the new cash value; 3) assessment and property taxes increases will be limited to a one-time maximum based on the old age social security increases; 4) property tax-funded services remain unchanged; 5) any extended or new service requiring additional funding must be approved beforehand by twothirds of all voters; 6) existing exemptions remain unchanged except that they are automatically increased by the percentage established under three.

Ideas remain mere ideas. Implementation converts them to reality. Where do you stand? G.E. Milow Coeur d’Alene

Streets closure reflection on Clinton

For the first time in the history of the White House, Pennsylvania Avenue has been permanently blocked off.

Is anyone surprised that the man who authorized the closure is that paragon of courage, Bill Clinton? Is anyone surprised that he approached the problem of White House security with the same artful exfiltration as that which he demonstrated during the Vietnam war?

Why the White House was singled out for this extra measure of security is puzzling in-as-much as the odds of any security intruder finding Clinton at home are slim. Our president spends so much time flitting around the country making taxpayer-funded campaign speeches that I would think that this top safety concern would be Air Force One. Maybe his obvious jet-flight mania is based on the rationale that a moving target is hard to hit.

But look at the good side. He hasn’t been seen jogging much in public lately. And that’s a blessing.

At any rate, Pennsylvania Avenue is closed - for good. And sadly, the “open government” atmosphere, the “free society” mystique of our great nation is diminished by that much.

Another 18 months of this man will obliterate any remaining semblance of esteem or revervence ever retained by the office of the presidency. Jack Lintelmann Mountain Home, Idaho