LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Ruse To Divert Attention

I read that Superintendent Wayne Alexander is "examining every dollar, in every department, every day," and even considering a four-day school week to save $650,000. This is clearly a ruse to divert attention from the real cuts. If it's not we're in big trouble!

What's next? Replace buses with horse and carts? Bales of hay instead of expensive tables and chairs?

But seriously, with teacher positions and books being cut across the board, I would like to remind Alexander, the Hernando County School Board and your readers of the true cost of the new gifted center within Explorer K-8.

Last year, it cost $900,000 to give gifted services to 400 gifted students at local schools. Because the state funds $2,100 for each gifted student the cost to the district was small. The new gifted center needs $1.6 million to operate next year, $700,000 more district money than this year.

Nobody asked the parents if they wanted their children uprooted and herded across the county to a single center. There are too many reasons why a child or parent may not want to leave their current schools to list here, but it is likely that about half of the 400 will not move.

This means that they will no longer receive gifted services and the district will no longer receive $420,000 in state funding for them. Therefore, the true additional cost to the district will be more than $1 million a year.

Alexander and school board members need to admit they have made a big mistake in the way the gifted center project has evolved, one they can clearly not afford. I think if they were totally honest with themselves, they already know it. You can tell by their testy or defensive responses when questioned.

I know it takes character to admit you were wrong, but they need to quickly before they lose state funding, 200 kids lose their gifted services and the 200 kids who do go find out that there will be no way the district can approve anything close to $1.6 million in the 2009-10 budget without the state funding and they will have to move back to their zoned schools.

I'm not against a gifted center for those who want it. I'm just saying slow down, scale it back a bit. You won't have as many kids as you expect without lowering the bar. Allow local schools to offer gifted services and keep your funding.

If Alexander really is examining every dollar, this gifted center must be giving him nightmares. Please wake up now before it's too late.

Jeff Fuller

Brooksville

Inciting Disdain

Frances Earl once again shows her lack of knowledge about important issues that face all voters. I wanted to ignore her distortions of the war in Iraq versus the war dead and treatment of returning veterans from other wars.

Yes, our losses are far less than World War II, Korea and Vietnam, so much so that she won't identify these losses from wars Democrat presidents presided over; and what did we gain from those wars but more wars.

World War II had hundreds of thousands of American deaths, but the numbers are always underestimated because they don't include the Merchant Marines who navigated convoys through German wolf packs. Though the percentage of deaths was greater than any branch of service, they never got any benefits.

Vietnam War deaths were more than 52,000. Suicides of Vietnam veterans exceed those deaths from combat, making total American deaths from the war more than 100,000 more than in Iraq. But if we are worried about Iraqi civilian deaths, they too are far less than those in previous wars. Luckily for America, we have always been spared these civilian deaths by geography.

Of course, all that changed on 9/11 when our civilians were targeted.

All wars are deadly and in that sense bad. Likewise, all are optional if surrender is acceptable but submission is also unpleasant. Consider women being assassinated in soccer fields while soccer players are tortured for losing.

So, yes, the level of outrage seems extreme compared to these other wars. While it was World War I that was to be the war to end all wars, it was presided over by another Democrat president with many American deaths.

Now because the war to end all wars won't happen until the second coming, people are naturally weary of all war. But since the 19th century, it has always been events overseas drawing us into wars. So why people think we would be at peace if we weren't in Iraq is beyond me. The history of the United States at war paints a different picture. We would just be arriving later with greater casualties is all.

As for veterans benefits, when I got home ages ago I found dozens of obstacles thrown at me, so much so that despite receiving six additional degrees from four universities, I was never given my entire GI Bill benefits, which at no time covered the total cost of my education or living expenses.

Whoever started this myth about benefits covering all college costs is bonkers or politically motivated.

Although I didn't, the good thing has been that veterans could use those benefits at any college, even Catholic ones.

In fact, it was Earl's comments about Catholics that caused me to write. As regular readers must know, I am a Catholic and find her comments insulting to Catholics as well as Jews.

We are not ignorant fools who care what a cleric from another religion ascribes to us; we believe what our faith tells us. Rev. Hagee doesn't decide who gets into heaven, God does and only His opinion matters on that issue.

However, we will work with anyone, even those who might think ill of us to achieve an abortion-free society.

Sen. Barack Obama believes babies born alive in abortion clinics should be allowed to die, that they have no legal rights whatsoever. No Catholic in good conscience can vote for a candidate maintaining such a position whatsoever.

Why does Earl fly around the real issues trying to incite disdain for Republicans? This bad karma will only defeat her own interests.

John T. Boyle

Hernando Beach