OpinionMay 31, 2000
SPEAK OUT
WELL, THE true facts are showing now, that China did contribute to Clinton's 1996 campaign. As hard as this man's fighting to get this trade agreement with China, there has to be something somewhere. I hope that these people, whether you're Democrat or Republican, will stop and think when you go to the polls to vote in November. ...
Stop and think
WELL, THE true facts are showing now, that China did contribute to Clinton's 1996 campaign. As hard as this man's fighting to get this trade agreement with China, there has to be something somewhere. I hope that these people, whether you're Democrat or Republican, will stop and think when you go to the polls to vote in November. The people that supported this trade with China and the ones that were against it. All this is going to do is take American jobs, believe me, people. The politicians don't seem to care. The Republicans and Democrats are for it alike. So don't be fooled by the party line. Vote your conscience and vote for the people who will look out for the American worker, which Clinton is not doing at all. Your vote will count. Vote for the right ones this time.
Sell the land first
I READ In the paper that the Jackson School Board proposes putting two tax increase levies on the ballot in August. What I'd like to know before I vote yes on anything is when are we going to sell that 12 acres on the east end of town back to the builder? We have $65,000 per acre at 12 acres. That's a lot of money, and we don't need a special school on the east side of town. When that land is sold back to the builder and that money is returned to the district, then we can talk about passing another bond issue. Until then, forget it.
Doing it their way
IT SEEMS it's business as usual at the Jackson School Board. They claim to want public input, yet after everything is said and done, they do as they very well please.
Let's be positive
I'M CALLING concerning the Jackson School District. I happen to work in the school district. I have worked in three other school districts before this one, and I can testify that Jackson has a great school district. The teachers are hard-working, the principals are hard-working, everyone involved is there to do the best job they can. Very flexible, professional people get the job done. Let's be positive about our school district. Let's be thankful that we have been able to build new schools and that we have a board that has tried to handle the growing pains. I feel the community has not been backing the school. As a person who has moved in, it seems the bluebloods of Jackson don't want to see Jackson grow any more, and the newer people who have come in aren't getting involved in the community. So we're not getting those votes, but the votes of those who don't want Jackson to grow. Let's pull together as a community as we have in the past and back our school system. It's a great place to work. It's a great place for your children to receive a good education. And I know first-hand.
Lots of support
I WOULD Like to congratulate the Jackson Board of Education for its courageous decision to put the junior high back on the ballot as well as the 40-cent tax levy. I applaud them. The easy way out would have been to take a 27-cent tax levy, which everyone agrees is needed. However, for anyone who's attended the numerous meetings the school board has held over the last month, it is very clear that the 27-cent levy is nothing more than a stopgap measure. Some people say the school board has not been responsive to the community and its needs. I sure don't see that. They've been more than responsive, holding numerous meetings and attending chamber of commerce functions to outline the positions and the reason why they've done what they've done and why they need to put these things back on the ballot. If anyone has not agreed with their decision, it seems they could attend these meetings and voice their concerns. As a person who's attended each of these meetings since the bond issue failed, I can tell you there's a tremendous amount of support in the community for what the school board has decided to do last night. I hope all the parents and the citizens of Jackson will support what the school board has done and continue to make the Jackson district and schools among the best in the state.
Shows lack of respect
TO THE person who called in about throwing a pie. It's not a lack of manners. It's a lack of respect, consideration, and feelings for other people.
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Working to pay taxes
ACCORDING TO the Tax Foundation, tax freedom day did not come until May 3 this year, making it the latest date ever. This means that the nation's taxpayers had to work from Jan 1 to the 124th day of the year before earning enough to pay for government, federal, state and local. In 1984, in the midst of the Reagan administration, tax freedom day came April 17, which was the earliest date in the last 20 years. Since 1992, under the Clinton administration, says the Tax Foundation, the total tax burden has grown markedly. While state and local taxes have grown somewhat, the lion's share of the increase has been rapid growth of federal tax collection, according to economist Scott Moody. Tax freedom day has tracked this trend by an advance of almost two weeks from April 20, 1992, to May 3, 2000. That's part of Clinton's legacy. After this relatively short period of eight years, Americans are spending an extra 13 days working for the government. Praise God. Clinton sure has helped us out, hasn't he.
A right to march
THIS IS in response to the Speak Out item entitled "March was ridiculous." Obviously the caller was male and of questionable intelligence. The so-called "sobbing mothers" were doing so in response to tragic loss of life, in many cases of their own children. They were protesting due to their perception of mishandling of firearms and had every constitutional right to do just that. I'm also happy that a celebrity such as Rosie O'Donnell is willing to take her time and use her celebrity for such a worthy cause. She doesn't deserve the name-bashing. Whichever side of the fence you sit on, people have every right to be at a march.
Sold down the river
AS A former Republican, and I'm 70 years old, I never thought the day would come when I would agree with the labor union. I agree wholeheartedly with Mr. Hoffa. I cannot believe that every representative we have in Congress, both from the House and Senate, are going along with Bill Clinton and selling all the working people in this country down the river. The big businessmen want cheap labor, so that means that all of the working people in this country won't have anywhere to work. They won't have any jobs. Thank Bill Clinton for that. I hope we get rid of every member of the House and the Senate.
How it really works
THE CHINA trade deal shows clearly who really runs America. Greedy corporations don't pour those millions of dollars into the coffers of these political parties for nothing. I don't see them trumpeting the success of NAFTA, which managed to shift thousands of jobs to Mexico. And it sure didn't slow down the alien flow, did it? CEOs can't lose and are rewarded for totally screwing up by getting hundreds of millions of dollars in golden parachutes, and you're not expected to get any raises. It's no wonder the younger generation is criticized for having no work ethic. Maybe they see how the system really works.
Don't make kids suffer
JACKSON COMMUNITY: Wake up. It's time to start supporting our schools and our children's education. Enough of this old vendetta with the school board. If you don't like them, vote them out the next time they're up for re-election. But don't have the kids suffer. If you have an ax to grind with the board members, what you're doing is making the kids suffer for it by the conditions they're in. I read in the paper that kindergarten at Cape has a ratio of 10 to 20 kids per teacher with a full-time aide. That's outrageous how they can have that and we have in almost every kindergarten 25 kids to one teacher without an aide. And our community thinks we're asking too much for a bond issue? Jackson is losing several high-quality, top-notch teachers to the Cape district. Look at why. Possibly the classroom situation, the student-teacher ratio, benefits, probably other reasons. We are starting to lose teachers to Cape if we don't get back in the Jackson spirit and support teachers and education and our schools. It's not a lot to ask. If you have a vendetta with the school board, don't vote for them, but don't let the kids suffer. Our kids are our future.
But I do all the work
LET ME get this straight. I go into a place, usually a buffet, to eat. The menu says I pay a certain amount for the food. I carry my own plate, my own drink, a napkin, my silverware on a tray, choose my table, and you, the waiter or waitress, think that I should pay you a tip to do this? Get a life. Get a job. You knew how much you were making when you went to work at this place.
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