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Legal 'Drugs' in the School System . . . Dear Editor, I read the article that Kay wrote on Ritalin in the Bay Area Review last week. That was the best article I have read in a long time. I never knew that Ritalin was that bad, but I saw what it did to my nephew and I didn't like it at all. The school said he needed it. And this boy is so smart at the age of 12 it is unreal. They keep him on this drug Ritalin and it is so sad. My hat goes off to Kay on writing this. I hope it hits home with parents that give this to their kids. Thanks, Brenda Azula Saginaw Mr. Martin, I recently enjoyed the article I read about children with learning disabilities, or behavior problems, being improperly diagnosed and using today's popular drugs as a substitute for a lack of a better term of plain old discipline. I am a Christian and I listen to a lot of Christian radio programs. I have heard of cases where indeed the drugs helped in extreme situations. Also that the drugs are being prescribed way too frequently. We are supposed to be at war on drugs in this country. I feel this is only going to complicate any education efforts put out concerning drug addiction, when at the same time kids are being taught that drugs are good. I am not a Doctor or even a writer for that matter. I just wanted to express my concerns that not enough emphasis is being placed on God, home and family. I also want to show my gratitude to your paper for letting an article like this be put out to the public and making all of us aware of a problem in the making. Thank You, Larry Acker Breckenridge, MI Impact of the School Bond Proposal . . . Mr. Martin, I am writing this letter because of your joint editorial regarding the request of Saginaw Public School system for funding of the 'Comprehensive Facilities Plan' intended to improve public education in Saginaw. While I am not a citizen of the city of Saginaw, I am interested in subjects dealing with Public Education. When I read the article I must admit I was shocked! Not surprised-shocked! I could not imagine you, Mr. Martin, as co-author with Mr. Schmid. I have read many articles by Mr. Schmid in The Saginaw News and have come to the opinion that Mr. Schmid is opposed to any tax for any reason, although from the tone of some of his articles I get the feeling that he is foe only of taxes involving the wealthy. On the other hand, Mr. Martin, you have always come across to me as a "defender" of the working people, attacking any governmental gambit which seemed to be NOT in the public interest. Yet, as I have read the last few issues of The Review, I am beginning to wonder whether or not you have "sold out" to the neo-conservative movement, or have been pressured to change the political orientation of your publication. I also think the Educational System in the City of Saginaw is in shambles, but not from any of the information given in your editorial. It is my opinion that most of the problems of the system are demographic in nature. In any case, I do not feel the Educational System is failing the people. I feel the people are failing the educational system. If you ask top-notch students how they get good grades, I think they would universally say 'Hard Work'. I have heard so many Republicans scream that "throwing money at the system is no way to improve it." Unfortunately, many people of other political persuasions passively agree without thinking much more about it. Of course, the new-conservative, right wing, corporate owned communications industry blitzes the American people with massive editorials about how the public schools are failing America and that "private education" is the only answer. Competition is their mantra. If one looks at what is happening on the corporate eve, one can only come to the conclusion that they are NOT practicing what they are preaching. Merger is their action. What happened to competition? What they new-conservative, right wing Republicans are actually doing is trying to destroy the Teachers Union and return teachers to sub-standard pay, benefits and working conditions of "yore". The neo-conservative movement is working to destroy ALL working class unity, resulting in chaos, which will be used by the Republicans to reduce the U.S. to a 3rd World Economy. Thank you, Gerald T. Hovis Saginaw Editor's Reply; No, I am not 'selling out' to any interest with the remarks made in my recent co-editorial with Mr. Schmid, nor am I altering the editorial focus of The Review. On the contrary, my opposition to the recent $240 million school bond proposal stems directly from the fact that it would have adversely affected the 'working class' families of Saginaw if it indeed had passed. Long ago I dispensed with political 'labeling', mainly because in this hybrid age it is useless to talk in terms of 'left and right', 'liberal & conservative'. I am more interested in talking about what is true and false, what is right and wrong, and looking to solutions that will improve our society. Unfortunately, if you want to talk about pushing a narrow-minded agenda, you'll find it more often in the public schools as opposed to the private ones. Many teachers I have spoken with have admitted to me that it is the public schools that are running scared at the thought of competition. Unfortunately, our public school system today operates more like an old fashioned Robber Baron trust that has controlled for too long what happens in education today. As both a property owner and business owner in the City of Saginaw for nearly 25 years, I double-checked Mr. Schmid's figures and found them to be quite accurate. Moreover, the financial burden from the bond proposal is not something that residents of the city could bare. The fact of the matter is that the Saginaw School Board ran a 'stealth' campaign on this bond issue, making themselves inaccessible to the media. They sent out 'tailor-made' flyers to each area of the district affected at considerable expense and spent enormous amounts of money on a serious dis-information campaign. The wording of the proposal granted authority to the city to assess 16 or 17 or even more mills to satisfy the interest and bond redemption requirements. Indeed, the proposal had three interesting phrases rolled into it, which are misleading. Here is the actual language: "The estimated millage to be levied to service this issue of bonds is 7.0 mills ($7.00 per $1,000 of taxable value) and the estimated simple average annual millage rate required to retire the bonds of this issue if 9.42 mills ($9.42) per $1,000 of taxable value)." First, it states that 7 mills are estimated for 2004. That means it can be more or less, whatever it takes. Secondly, it says that 7 mills are needed to service the bond in 2004. It does not comment on what is needed for future years. That's anybody's guess. The third phrase is 'retire'. That means the 7 mills (or more or less) is only for interest because service for municipal bonds is another word for interest (they never use the word interest except when selling the bond to prospective bondholders). In addition, the taxpayers would have had to pay another estimated 9.42 mills to retire the debt. In other words, the bond proposal had built in protection for the school district in that it would collect between 16 and 17 mills annually to service and retire the debt. And this issue of 'state loans' is immaterial - it is still taxpayer money that would have been needed to be repaid to the State at some point. Face it, the state has severe money problems as well. Undoubtedly, this would have been a creeping bond scattered over four or five years in order to prevent a full realization of the full 16 or 17 mill rate. It placed a terrible burden on the individual property owner as well as renters. In the long run, if the bond had passed, we could have expected to see township property values increase considerably as city residents abandoned the city for the townships. Conversely, city property owners would have watched their equalization value rise while their actual values declined. If that happened then many city residents could have claimed with justification that their property values are overstated and appeal for a reduction in valuation. Subsequent reductions in actual values could then make it difficult for the city to meet its bond obligations. Sincerely, Robert E. Martin Editor & Publisher Review Magazine The Review welcomes your letters and comments. Please send all correspondence to: Letters to the Editor, Review Magazine, 318 S. Hamilton St., Saginaw, MI 48602. Or you can e-mail us online at acidpen@cris.com
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