Letters to the Editor, April 1

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, April 1

Keep school spending in proper perspective
To the editor:
   
I have read with interest in recent issues of The Packet the development of arguments for and against one-to-one laptop computers for distribution to students at Montgomery High School. My purpose of this letter is not to comment on this issue but to argue the absurdity of so much effort from the citizens and the media focusing on this relatively insignificant cost issue.
   On a larger picture, the most significant issue in Montgomery is its tax base. For us to make any significant strides in keeping taxes and the cost of education in check, we need to focus our immediate attention on attracting tax ratables, not critiquing decisions being made by the Montgomery Board of Education. Our school system is the very best that New Jersey offers and it’s arguably one of the most cost-effectively run systems. My thanks go to the great school board members, school administration and dedicated teachers who have worked tirelessly over the years to make this possible. Let’s get off the back of the school board. Something that is not broken does not need to be fixed.
   I propose that our efforts be re-directed to the Township Committee members, who desperately need to develop many levels of policy and administrative changes that promote a milder business climate in the town. Any significant business development proposed in the township should be placed on a fast-track process through the guidance of a committee composed of business professionals that can best steer such a process. We need more ratables in Montgomery as soon as possible to play any significant role to be able to control the rising cost of education. Making a big issue over an approximate $300,000 expense for laptop computers insults the intelligence of all township residents.
Michael Dimino
Manor Drive
Montgomery
Students afforded great opportunity
To the editor:
   
In the West Windsor-Plainsboro school district, the students are blessed to have the opportunity to participate in an extracurricular program that is exciting and riveting.
   As a part of National Talent Month, I thought that the public should be aware of the endless opportunity and discovery offered to my generation. The programs are distributed by the National Talent Network and the Education International Resource Center. They include National History Day, Rogate, Future Problem Solvers and Cognetics. All of these programs offer students ways to improve in all areas of their academic career.
   Briefly, National History Day is an event that students can participate in by preparing and presenting a researched problem in great depth. Rogate is an individual project as well, where students form an opinion on a current controversy and research ways to prove it. Future Problem Solvers is a program where a group of students solve problems that could arise in the future in many different ways.
   Finally, Cognetics is a group activity where the students solve a given problem and then perform their solution in the form of a skit.
   In addition to participating in each of these areas, students have the option of taking it a step further. They can achieve Cognetics or Rogate Gold, called "Satori" (Japanese for Excellence). Each requires publication of information about Cognetics or Rogate beyond the school building.
   These are individual projects where the students have to work in the outside world to complete a challenging, yet rewarding goal. They are allowed help from one instructor, but all the work has to be done by the student.
   In Thomas Grover Middle School, we have the privilege of having national educator Dr. Joan Ruddiman as our "coach" as we take on these challenges.
   As a Cognetics Gold member myself, I understand the challenges that Gold proposes along with the satisfaction of exceeding the expected level of an eighth-grader. I feel that along with celebrating National Talent Month, we should appreciate the tremendous opportunity and discovery offered to this generation.
Rachel Sartor
Eighth Grade
Thomas Grover Middle School
West Windsor
Fund-raising project enjoys support
To the editor:
   
For many of us, the devastating earthquake and tsumanis that hit Southeast Asia in December 2004 are a distant memory. But for those living in that region, the death and loss are still very real.
   In February, our daughter, Lucy Zimmerman, custom designed a unique 14K gold heart pendant in an effort to raise funds for the victims of this catastrophe. Called the "Heart of Hope," the necklace symbolizes hope for these victims. Our fund-raising project has been received with tremendous support. Our goal was to raise $5,000. With 12 necklaces currently on back order, we are sure we will easily exceed that amount.
   We would like to thank everyone who purchased a pendant and those who, in some way, contributed to this effort. The proceeds will go to the Jewelry Industry Relief Fund, administered through Save the Children.
   Roman philosopher Lucius Annaeus Seneca once said, "Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for kindness."
   We at Roman Jewelers believe this to be true. Together, with the community, we have the power to bestow kindness from our hearts to the men, women and children most affected by this disaster.
Roman and Sophie Shor
Owners
Roman Jewelers
Flemington
Bush is wrong on Social Security
To the editor:
   
George W. Bush just doesn’t get it. He’s on a 60-day tour of the country, trying to convince Americans that Social Security is broken and needs to be fixed. Fortunately, Americans know better.
   We’ve seen the statistics indicating that Social Security will be able to pay full benefits until at least 2042. We’ve heard Republican talking heads fail to explain how private accounts will address the issue of Social Security solvency. And we caught a glimpse of the Republicans’ real agenda at a recent Rick Santorum appearance in Philadelphia, where Sen. Santorum’s rally crowd chanted, "Hey, hey. Ho, ho. Social Security has got to go."
   Whatever the reasons, public support for President Bush’s plan to privatize Social Security is at an all-time low. By now, most Americans realize that taking money out of the Social Security trust fund and diverting it to Wall Street will weaken the system and threaten the security of future retirees. But that won’t stop President Bush. The war in Iraq demonstrated that the Bush administration doesn’t let the facts stand in the way of advancing its radical, right-wing agenda.
   As concerned citizens, we must remain vigilant and let our elected representatives in Congress know that we oppose any efforts by the Bush administration to privatize Social Security.
Eddie Konczal
Monroe
The radical right must be fought
To the editor:
   
Our Founding Fathers designed our government in a fashion that is envied the world over. They created branches and political parties so that no one person and no one party would able to have sole control to push any one ideology unwittingly down our throats in a dictatorial manner.
   But radical Republicans are hell-bent on destroying that very foundation of our freedom and call their plan the "nuclear option." The back door being used to destroy 200 years of bipartisan checks and balances is the Supreme Court, by appointing justices who favor corporate interests and the extreme right over the rest of us.
   Republicans have taken millions of dollars from their corporate backers. Now they’re seeking to use the courts to pay back their big donors by overturning protections they have long worked to undermine, such as labor rights, environmental laws and privacy rights. With a world view that might makes right and a moral belief that the poor are so because they are lazy (despite the obvious fact of those born into poverty or wealth), radical rights use the word "morality" to defend greed and are shortsighted for the future of our nation that we leave to our children and grandchildren.
   Our elected representatives, no matter what party they are affiliated with, need to use every bit of power granted them, including filibuster, to challenge the corruption of our government; to disallow big business to own and control us; to fight one-party control and restore a government of the people, for the people and by the people.
Mirah Riben
South Brunswick