LETTERS: ALL AROUND US, STANDARDS ARE LOWER

To the editor:

I have been following the controversy regarding school funding, and my opinion is that the symptoms are being address, not the real problem.

The problem is grade creep, lack of enforced standards and the notion that mediocre is outstanding. Everyone passes and moves on regardless. How can three newspaper pages of students make the honor roll? Why do colleges have to offer remedial classes to freshmen? The answer is inflation.

We are all to blame for this. We lost Vietnam because we inflated the enemy death count. We gave medals to everyone -- fill out a form letter, and it's yours. The makers of the Medal of Honor made 100 extra and sold them at $250 each. Can you imagine the damage done to those who earned this medal? The stock market goes higher and higher while companies downsize. We accept shoddy practices with little complaint.

Churches cut corners with annulments after long years of marriage. We put up with less-than-honorable behavior from ministers and rabbis. What good happens to us is God's plan. What bad happens to us is the devil's plan. We can't go wrong.

Are we to be proud of our present federal government and inform our offspring that this is the best the country has to offer?

To zero in on school funding, all of the teachers and staff took raises in prior years. Why shouldn't all of them bite the bullet now? The district can go to the voters and ask for more money. Try and visualize that they would be asking most of the people to vote themselves higher taxes to give teachers and administrators a raise when most of them already earn more than the taxpayers. Educators, think about this.

Finally, if teachers went into teaching for the money, they should so themselves, students and taxpayers a big favor and get into something else. They are supposed to teach because they are dedicated. If they were dedicated, perhaps the students would show a measure of respect. When this happens, I am convinced the parents and the community will respond positively.

GILBERT J. CLEMENTS

Jackson