Let youngsters decide their paths

To the editor:

Gov. Matt Blunt is proposing to cut spending and use our tax money more efficiently. The governor says government should be managed as a business. The Republican-led legislature says additional money for education will come from reducing wasteful spending.

Considerable time (taxpayers' money) is wasted in our public school classrooms dealing with disruptive students, particularly high school attendees who really don't want to be there. Why not let them out so they can pursue alternative career paths at their own expense? This would not only be good business, but a lesson in personal responsibility as well.

Why, then, would our elected legislators propose legislation designed to increase required school attendance for two additional years to age 18?

STEVE BAIRD, Lebanon, Mo.