Disapproval of BOE drivers voters to polls
To the editor:
The letter from Jane S. De Lung (The Ledger, April 27) was very interesting. I believe she made an excellent point. Does each and every school district need its own administrative unit? I do not think anybody would believe this is the least expensive or effective way to manage the school districts because it is obvious the each administrative unit looks pretty much the same as the one several miles away in a different district. I would certainly support the idea of 21 school districts, one for each county, but, unfortunately, I do not believe that this would be acceptable to many parents of school age children. I think it might be more acceptable if there were more than 21 and less then approximately 600. Private industry has tried to centralize similar activities to save money for years.
I also found the editorial (The Ledger, April 27) concerning the low voter turnout to be interesting. The editor thought that the only two groups of people that show up to vote were either parents, teacher and supporters of schools or people on fixed incomes. I think there is a third group. People who feel that the school boards have become just another unit of government that will continue to raise taxes to cover increased costs and fund additional activities that may or not be necessary and not take a hard look to try and find any areas where there might be an opportunity to actually save money.
The proposal to build a school on the former AT & T property immediately comes to mind. The voters did not believe that there was an absolute need for an additional school and said so with their votes. The school board even continued to pursue the county to at least sell them the land for future use. Fortunately the county told them they would only go ahead with the deal if there was voter approval. Just think how lucky we are in Lawrence that the school was not built. How much would it cost the taxpayers for the cost of the debt, more teachers, more administrative staff, more support staff, fuel costs for the building, the additional transportation costs and many other costs that an additional facility would generate. I guess no one thought that up grading the existing facilities, at a much lower cost, could solve the problem. For once, your vote really did count and everybody that voted should be proud that they took the time and energy to make their voice heard.
Dave Lindgren
Keefe Road
Celebrate and appreciate teachers and school nurses
To the editor:
Mark your calendars for next week starting Monday it is once again National Teacher Appreciation Week. Please join me and take the opportunity to thank all of the outstanding men and women in our public schools for the extraordinary education they provide for our students.
It doesn’t take much to express thanks a short note or card, a flower, or something your child creates to let teachers and staff know that you value them. And don’t forget your school’s principal, guidance counselor, and music, art, gym teachers and other specialists.
In addition, Tuesday is National School Nurses Day, so be sure to remember those who wipe away tears and provide those extra hugs to kids who may have gotten a bump on the playground or a tummy ache just before a big test.
Year after year our family has been so impressed by the staff in our great school district they continually exceed our expectations. The countless hours, abundance of patience and care they put into making sure all children succeed is commendable. They continue to go above and beyond the call of duty, and their contracts, each and every day.
We try to remember to make it a point to show our gratitude and I am sure you will want to do the same.
Let’s go all out this year to show our teachers and staff how much we really do appreciate them. They certainly deserve it.
Jennifer Wengler
Laurel Wood Drive
Needle exchange programs have proven to be effective
To the editor:
I recently read David G. Evans’ letter (The Ledger, April 27) opposing needle-exchange programs. Despite his seemingly informed position as executive director of the Drug-Free Schools Coalition, his letter contained some glaring inaccuracies.
Mr. Evans writes, "AIDS is transmitted primarily through high-risk sexual contact, even among intravenous drug users." According to the Center for AIDS Prevention Studies and the AIDS Research Institute, "It is estimated that half of all new HIV infections in the U.S. are occurring among injection drug users. For women, 61 percent of all AIDS cases are due to injection drug use or sex with partners who inject drugs. Injection drug use is the source of infection for more than half of all children born with HIV."
Furthermore, Mr. Evans states, "The provision of needles to addicts will encourage drug use." In every country and American city where needle-exchange programs have been implemented, there has never been an increase in intravenous drug use. In fact, eight federally funded studies dating back to 1991 show that needle-exchange programs curb the spread of AIDS and do not increase the use of drugs either among intravenous drug users or the general public.
In his willful ignorance and attendant dissemination of false information, Mr. Evans displays the same kind of obstinate naiveté endemic to so many of this country’s public servants. While intravenous drug use is certainly the least common form of drug use (especially among teenagers), it is still a reality. Needle-exchange programs offer a proven, effective and realistic approach to this problem; planting "Drug-Free School Zone" signs, kidding one’s self about drug use and lying about needle-exchange programs do not.
Patrick Walsh
Stonebridge Lane
West Windsor
Self-service gas makes no sense
To the editor:
Gov. Corzine is totally out of touch. In New Jersey, we like not pumping our own gasoline. We like not standing out in the wind, rain and hail to save an elusive five cents a gallon. And, when there was the sniper in the D.C. area, I felt so much more secure for my family (wife and two adult daughters) knowing they didn’t have to get out of the car.
For years, we have paid less for our gasoline than neighboring states and have benefited from the convenience of having somebody else pump our gasoline. In addition to its convenience, it provides jobs. My wife loves having her windows done. And none of us have to make the choice between saving a few cents a gallon (if there even is a real savings) and the inconvenience of self-serve.
Finally, I don’t think the price of gasoline will go down with self-serve. It is more likely that the price for self-serve will remain the same and that full-service will just go up.
If you agree with me, please call the Governor’s Office at (609) 292-6000, between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m., and let him know.
E. Martin Davidoff
Georges Road
South Brunswick
Beware fallout from Bush’s Iran obsession
To the editor:
President Bush continues reserving the option of nuking Iran’s underground installations in order to heal the Iranians of their ambitions to develop nuclear energy. His obsession with destroying bunkered facilities makes sense. They’re the only place on earth U.S. weaponry can’t reach. But unless the U.S. military possesses a secret nuclear bunker-buster in defiance of recognized laws of physics, known munitions and their delivery modes cannot reach and destroy deep earth installations such as Iran’s Natanz.
But regardless, would the resulting nuclear fallout of such an attack on Iran mean nothing to President Bush? Civilian headscarves offer scant protection from a toxic surging cloud sweeping like a dust storm along Iran’s urban areas.
Maybe the president’s foreign policy consiglieri, including the silken- tongued Condi Rice, can convince the man who will give the order that fallout is what occasionally happens between him and the first lady the only downside for Iranians being bearded guys and dolls sleeping in separate beds a few nights. But to skin-burned Iranians, fallout will smart like a super-coiled smack in the face. Just one junior-sized Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator popped 15 yards below ground throws millions of cubic yards of radioactive dirt. Is that the effect the White House theorizes will bring Iranian masses to revolt against their mullah leadership after being shake and baked by the United States?
According to U.S. civilian war planners, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will become public enemy No. 1 to freedom-seeking Iranians. But in salons where they don’t drink the rose-colored Kool Aid drunk at the White House, it’s pie in the sky.
Or could the point of the "Iran Liberation" logic just be clever psychological warfare intended to bully the madman into submission just like the "madman" Saddam. We-can-destroy-you rhetoric, however, doesn’t seem to be sending Mahmoud What’s-his-name into a spider hole. Perhaps the sieve-like U.S. intelligence services generously imbedded with Russian and Chinese assets keep the Iranian leadership sumptuously apprised of the real U.S. algorithm.
Does the Bush White House not take pause from their endless patchwork maneuverings to control Iraq and Central Asia, and wonder if ordering a sure-to-fail, illegal act of aggression against Iran will be fully supported by the U.S. military? Does the White House ignore that such an order would be met with elements of mutiny? Does the president reside on earth or hover an inch above?
Those Persians will surely get hot and bothered being nuked by the U.S., but it’s tortured logic to think Iranians thus liberated will turn against their own. After all, the Bush White House might recall they continued digging a tomb for America in Iraq in 2004, yet Americans re-elected them.
Luis de Agustin
Gates Court
West Windsor
Is South Dakota protecting children?
To the editor:
South Dakota’s anti-abortion law bans nearly all abortions, even when pregnancies result from incest or rape. Doctors who perform an abortion could get a $5,000 fine and five years in prison. Their Republican governor said, "The true test of a civilization is how people treat the most helpless in their society."
According to the Children’s Defense Fund, a child in South Dakota is abused every two hours, and every four hours a child is born into poverty. South Dakota ranks 31st among the states in infant mortality. Only five states have a worse record of early prenatal care. Perhaps the governor should spend more time dealing with how his state treats children after they are born and less time interfering with an individual’s right to choose.
The Bush administration has pushed public schools to teach abstinence only for pregnancy prevention. This has been shown to be ineffective or even counter-productive, thus assuring more abortions. Our rate of unintended pregnancies is double that of western Europe and, consequently, our abortion rate is double theirs. Teens in many European countries are more sexually active than American teens but have only a fraction of our unintended pregnancies and abortions. The reason is probably better sex-education classes in European schools. In our schools, sex-education classes that discuss birth control as a way to prevent pregnancy and sexual diseases are being replaced by teaching abstinence only. Contraceptives are discussed only in terms of their failure rate.
We could easily cut our 1.3 million abortions a year with enlightened sex-education classes but until we rid Washington of Republicans pandering to the religious right, this will not happen.
Ronald A. LeMahieu
Sequoia Court
West Windsor

