Our Daughters’ Views Thursday We Took Our Daughters To Work - And Turned Them Loose On The Editorial Page. Here’s What They Had To Say:

Bill would ensure quality education

Call me a tattletale if you want, but the Legislature is violating the state Constitution.

They say that school funding is their first priority, but actually, they’re only paying for the bare-bones basics like English, history and math. Local taxpayers must vote to raise their own taxes to pay for things that make school more interesting for students - like advanced placement and extended learning programs, orchestra, choir, band, sports, computers, well-stocked libraries and newer textbooks.

Today, these things are in jeopardy.

Washington’s Legislature is so stingy, it puts a lid on the amount communities can raise to improve their schools. But the current lid is going to expire and get even lower unless the Legislature passes House Bill 2069.

HB 2069 will continue the current lid. Without it, Spokane School District 81 will have to cut $6 million from its budget. Just think of how many teachers that’s worth. This could hurt important programs that keep kids interested in school.

Students are depending on the Legislature, as well as local taxpayers, to provide enough money to have a proper education.

For those of you who hate taxes, you are forgetting that they pay for valuable things, like education. When you were in school, your parents had to pay for your education, and now it’s your turn to do the same for this generation.

Beth Webster/Age 14

Snuff teen smoking

Cigarette use by teenagers has increased to 34.8 percent, up from 30 percent in 1993 and 27.5 percent in 1991. An estimated 3.1 million adolescents are current smokers and 3,000 young people become regular smokers every day.

What causes so many teenagers to start smoking? I believe that it is caused when children do not get enough love or attention from their parents. Studies show that children who are neglected or held to strict rules by their parents are more likely to start smoking than children who grow up in loving households.

Another cause could be cigarette availability. Surveys show a high proportion of teens under 18 are able to purchase cigarettes without being asked by retailers to prove their age.

Although proposals to make cigarettes impossible for teenagers to get seem to be the key to stopping all this underage smoking, I think that these greater restrictions will only tie up our legal systems and motivate teens to smoke out of rebellion.

Therefore, my advice to all parents afraid that their children might or already do smoke, is to talk to them sincerely about it instead of promising severe punishment if they ever do start. The rate of teenagers starting smoking is climbing rapidly and it is up to the parents to help stop it.

Anna Sowa/Age 14

Share time with kids

Two years ago the Oklahoma bombing occurred. Many people died and many people were hurt. Some people who do destructive things like this need attention, whether it’s good or bad.

It’s never too late to give your child attention. Many parents rely on day care, baby sitters and nannies to provide care for their children. That is okay but working parents need to spend some time with their children along with balancing their work schedule.

Eating meals together as a family and discussing how the day went is a great way to develop a strong relationship. So is reading together a book your child likes. As you read, if your child doesn’t know what a word means, explain or look it up together in the dictionary.

Parents could also watch family television shows with their children. It is just the point of being together that is important. Spending time together on the weekends is a lot of fun to do. Parents need to spend time with their children. It could prevent destruction.

Samantha Werme/Age 9

Just do it for conscience

With Bloomsday fast approaching, many residents of Spokane and the surrounding area are rushing out to purchase new athletic shoes and clothes to help them in the race. But consumers should know that athletic companies like Nike sell products that are made by people, mostly young girls, working in sweatshops.

In Indonesia, 12-year-old girls work 70 hours a week and are not paid enough to buy three meals a day. Workers in Nike factories in that country are forced to work overtime and sometimes are not paid at all, period. Some workers are abused and harassed daily by their supervisors, and work in factories smelling of glue fumes. The human rights violations soar through the roofs of these factories, while Nike executives like Phil Knight make millions.

So, Bloomsday runners, you may not think that you can make a difference in the life of someone working in a sweatshop on the other side of the world. But consider the conditions under which your brand-name shoes are made before suiting up for the big race.

Darcy Camden/Age 15

You can make a difference

Voting isn’t something that takes place just on election day. In a sense, we vote every day of the year.

Every time we open our wallets, we cast a ballot supporting the principles reflected by the products we buy.

That’s why my family’s New Year’s resolution was tough to keep. We agreed not to buy goods made in China. We worried that every dollar we spent on a Chinese product might be supporting political prisons, environmental destruction, military aggression or child labor.

But it is frustrating to see the dreaded “Made in China” sticker on nearly everything we want to buy, from energy-saving thermostats to feather-filled sleeping bags, from computer-printer cables to Christmas ornaments.

Frequently our choice is between Chinese bargains made with cheap labor, or more expensive alternatives made somewhere else. But by making that choice, we’re making a difference.

Although we’re only one boycotting family in a nation that imports billions of dollars worth of goods from China, store owners who hear our concerns are more likely to change their policy. Each friend that knows our quest is more likely to join.

So the next time you vote with your wallet, make sure you know what you’re voting for. Are you hurting China’s citizens by supporting China’s government?

Kelly Guilfoil/Age 14

Help out your library

Lately, when you go to the Spokane Public Library, new books are not always what you see. Instead you will find many new computers with updated technology, which is good, but many people would rather have updated books. Isn’t that what a library is about an inexpensive way for people to do research and read interesting books?

Since 1991, Spokane libraries have spent $2 million on technology, and $6 million on materials, including books. In spite of this, many times people cannot find new books. For example, I could not find copies of recent books by award-winning historical fiction writer Ann Rinaldi.

Perhaps it would help if people donated more money to the library for books. We should be able to find up-to-date books with interesting information.

Megan Neely/Age 12

Knock out women’s boxing

Has it ever occurred to you that some women have an anger they need to fight out? This might be what caused the bizarre sport of women’s boxing.

This sport is dangerous.

Not only can a woman be hurt by boxing, but she can get cancer, suffer brain tumors from being hit in the head, and maybe even die - let alone the beauty troubles she faces. A woman’s face is one of her attractive parts.

If boxing causes all these problems, why do it? Is it for fame? Are women doing it for themselves to prove they’re better than men? Or is it something deeper?

I believe women boxers are angry deep down because society says they’re not good enough. So, they take a risk. They box knowing they can be beaten to a bloody pulp.

Maybe they do it for fame and fortune, but they probably won’t be recognized. Instead, they’re nothing more than sex objects in their sports bras and shorts.

When it comes to women’s boxing, I say, “Whatever.”

Amy Joy Oliveria/Age 11

Parenthood needs age limit

A woman at the University of Southern California’s Program for Assisted Reproduction just had a healthy 6-pound, 4-ounce baby. The 63-year-old, whose name hasn’t been released, is the world’s oldest woman to give birth. She lied to get into the program, saying she was 50 to be under the maximum age of 55.

Should there be an age limit for bearing children, and if so, who would decide that age?

Dr. Mark Sauer of the Columbia University Medical School said, “I have to believe that a 78-year-old dealing with a teenager may have some problems.”

But Dr. Stanley Korenman of the University of California said children today are often raised by their grandparents and they frequently do a better job.

I believe that it’s often unfair to the children, and even selfish of the parents, to be bearing children at that age. Even if the parent is able to have children at 63, it doesn’t mean that they should.

Being a teenager, I would not want to have a 78-year-old parent.

Have older parents thought about Alzheimer’s disease and other age-related illnesses? I think there should be an age limit that doctors should decide.

Kristin Wille/Age 13

Help those who need it

Recently, Spokane School District 81 approved a plan for a fifth- and sixth-grade magnet school for gifted students. The theory is that the advanced students will get to work at the pace they’re comfortable with, and will not be held back in their regular classrooms.

Even though well-intentioned, this is one more way of separating the “special” children from the “regular” kids. This is most likely another case of overzealous parents doing what’s best for their brilliant offspring -even if the last thing their kids want to do is be separated from their friends, neighborhood, and school.

This idea would also harm the kids’ original schools. By pulling out many of the kids who are eager and willing to learn, teachers will be left with kids who have less motivation.

Those children won’t be receiving support from their more advanced peers. Perhaps the people who need the attention are not the “gifted” kids, but the kids who really need the help with their education.

Kate Kershner/Age 13