Letters to the editor
Posted on Saturday, August 23, 2008
Punishment should fit the crime
The thought of someone mistreating an
animal makes me sick. I broker small puppies and I sell to people who
love and take excellent care of their pets; they even send me pictures
of them on their birthdays. Cats and dogs have feelings like human
beings. I feel these people who are cruel and kill these poor animals
should spend jail time and be fined an amount that will make them think
twice before ever doing that again.
Celia Wood
Springdale
On buildings and budgets
Wow ! I just got off Fayetteville's new walking / running / biking trails that go from Sixth Street to Old Missouri Road. They're wonderful; a fantastic addition to our town for recreation, communion with and appreciation of our natural beauty, exercise, meeting friends and others in a peaceful environment, and more. I hope we stay committed to such developments which help the overall livability here, as well as promoting a healthy lifestyle when so many are facing obesity, heart disease, diabetes and technology overload.
I believe that over the last eight years we've been led by the best combination of mayor, city council, planning commission and city staff we've ever had. They are knowledgeable, open to learning and committed to helping us grow into a larger yet more livable city. (Next up: affordable housing and mass transit. )
Some talk about the sewer plant cost overrun. I'm just glad we're finally more environmentally respectful than before. I never saw any other city administration tackle this immense problem.
We can develop into a town with two smaller high schools (1, 000-1, 500 ) and focus on the student. Winning a state championship is a wonderfully fulfilling experience, but has nothing to do with which classification you happen to be in. And if Greenland ever needs to be annexed into Fayetteville schools, which may occur, I think this will also help in that.
Why are we suddenly talking about selling our centrally located, paid-for high school ? I've seen no good reasons. I'm not surprised the "secret"development group withdrew their $ 59 million offer. Only a taxpayer-funded entity like the University of Arkansas can just throw around $ 50 million for land and buildings they don't need.
If we really want to take a positive step in education, then give teachers two planning / grading / communication periods for every five classes taught; otherwise there's just too much to do in a regular school day. School sizes, class sizes and workloads need to be small enough to engage in as the humble human beings we are. (The idea of changing FHS into a 9 th-12 th grade high school is just going to create bigger problems than we already face. )
Too often we label each other liberals and conservatives, because that's easy. It's just not realistic. I'm a liberal Democrat on many issues, but on the issue of a state lottery I guess you'd call me conservative, because I agree with the preachers: I think promoting gambling in our state is a terrible thing to do. If we need more money for education then we need to raise taxes, primarily on property. Our area has low property taxes and high sales taxes. This puts more of our tax responsibility on the backs of the poor, working poor and working class. I think we've all benefited from America, and those that have benefited the most should shoulder more of the burden. Promising gambling as the answer to public problems is a terrible example to citizens on how to balance their own budgets.
Tx Trumbo
Fayetteville
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