LETTERS: VOTERS ARE SMART ENOUGH TO DECIDE ABOUT HANCOCK II

To the editor:

I am really mad. We, the taxpayers of Missouri, are being told by our elected officials and our educators that we are not smart enough to know how our money should be spent. Recently, the Southeast Missourian has published numerous articles projecting doom and gloom if the voters pass the Hancock II amendment. Perhaps I don't understand the full implications of the amendment, but I think, that the purpose of the amendment is to allow voters to determine whether a particular cause is worthy of new high dollar taxes. There is no real attempt to take away any worthwhile expenditures. It seems that those who are making the most noise are those who feel that their pet project is not worthy of the taxes and that the voters will see through it.

Unfortunately, today's politicians have an agenda that leaves good old fashioned "doing what is right and best" far down the list. The very top of the list is a major category of "How do I get reelected?" The first 19 sub-categories under this one are variations of "what can I do for someone else that will help me get reelected?"

Many of today's employees in higher education have lost touch with the real world and how our very society survives. We survive by hard work and taking care of ourselves. Too many fail to know the ratio of production to reward. Many have forgotten the old ways of teaching which required standards and goals; and the only way a student could advance was to complete all of the requirements for that particular grade. Whether the student felt good or not was important but not a factor in whether he or she advanced.

We taxpayers are not stupid. Nor shall we be taken advantage of. Politicians and educators are our employees. They work for us! If there is a valid need, why shouldn't they bring it to us and allow us to evaluate it. These people have the obligation to convince us of their needs. If we are smart enough to make the money that sustains their lifestyle and pays for their pet projects, surely we are smart enough to know where we want the money spent. We might not even want something that is politically correct. We might even want some things that are morally right.

Since we have been given the opportunity to see the elitist attitude of some of our politicians, maybe we should give serious consideration to citizen officials that take time from their productive life to help their fellow citizens by sharing their expertise for a short time and then return to that productive life.

NEIL DITTLINGER

Benton