THE PUBLIC MIND: GREED AND WASTE ARE REASONS TO OPPOSE PROPOSITION B

To the Editor:

Educators, in their arguments on the need for Proposition B, are once again showing their knack of using semantics to turn attention away from their selfish and unceasing desire for more tax dollars. Once more they are speaking of "the future of our children" as a burden society will inherit if we don't give them more money.

I'm sick of it. Late each summer I'm constantly reminded of this greed by teachers nationwide who choose to walk the picket lines instead of starting the school year. All because, the majority of time, they feel they don't make enough money.

Their conduct alone proves they don't give a damn about the students. Their picket-line powwow amounts to nothing more than them holding the students' minds and pursuit of education hostage, all to better their own pocketbooks. Surely some other way exists for them to air their dissatisfaction of their plight without making the students the victims.

For some crazy reason educators seem to always feel they're above the need to tighten their belts as far as they can before asking for more money, even though every other sector of society appears to be doing it (that is excluding our check-bouncing federal legislators). Tough reform in itself is what is needed first not the gross additional money Proposition B would allow.

Let's cut the waste before voting in a tax increase. God knows there are opportunities at schools and college campuses that present themselves.

Sports that don't pay their way by bringing in enough money should go. Another opportunity exists at the university level in the area of administration salaries and unneeded administration positions.

Here at Southeast Missouri State University, the school's president earns $105,000 a year, plus free board at the presidential home "Wildwood." There's no reason any public university president deserves to make that much money, which by the way is more than half what the country's highest official, the president, makes.

E.J. Rotert

Cape Girardeau