Speak Out 4/21/16

Helicopter parents

You legions of hovering helicopter parents are causing major problems that distract from a school system's main mission: educating the youth. A current example of this is your incessant demand that your kids have immediate access to a cellphone even though said phone usage often causes substantial disruption in classrooms. Parents, just say no to student cellphones in school so these already overly pressured institutions can focus on their primary mission.

Long column

Jeff Long's column April 10 -- wonderful. Words to remember: "Always leave well." The scriptures he used speak volumes for us today. Thank you, Jeff.

Zika worries

With the Zika virus scare, is the city going to spray for mosquitoes this year? I didn't see any spraying going on last year.

Sowell column

Thomas Sowell should stick to economics. President Obama has three former secretaries of defense, not four. And if Obama was "untested," in what sense exactly are Ted Cruz and Donald Trump "tested?"

Tax failures

The reason much-needed local tax proposals fail is due to the lingering effects of Ronald Reagan's disastrous statement that government is the problem, not the solution.