Anchorage Daily News

Voc-ed legislation passage helps; now let's modify graduation exam

Kudos to Rep. Mark Neuman for sponsoring a vocational education-training bill that was approved this past legislative session. The bill allows businesses to receive credits against a variety of taxes for helping schools provide vocational experience for students. Contributions of up to $100,000 will reap a 50 percent credit, and larger contributions will reap even higher credit.

The Legislature could contribute even more to vocational education, under the leadership of the state Board of Education and the new commissioner, by modifying the required graduation exam contents for those who complete a recognized, entry-level vocational education program provided by an accredited institution.

In a letter to the editor, past state Board of Education member Robert Gottstein said one way to improve education was to provide vocational education ("Here's how Alaska could double its high school graduation rate," Dec. 5, 2007). The Legislature, through Rep. Neuman, has taken a giant step that will provide the opportunity to succeed for many of those now dropping out of school. Now, if the graduation exam is modified so those seeking to make a livelihood with their skills are recognized with a diploma as contributing citizens, education will be improved and dropouts will be fewer in number.

-- Stowell Johnstone

Anchorage

School District lunch policies can teach students economic lessons

It is very commendable that Carol Comeau, the School Board and the Wendler PTSA have rescinded the policy of not allowing secondary students to charge meals.

I agree that everyone should have the opportunity to eat a healthy meal at lunchtime.

Now let's look at the whole picture.

Student Nutrition is a self-supporting department of the Anchorage School District. It cannot afford not to be reimbursed for meals that are charged. There is help available with a free or reduced meal (40 cents) program. Parents only have to apply and fill out a very simple form. This is a very important part of parental responsibility. It is an equally important part of parental responsibility to pay lunch charges. This should be a higher priority than purchasing fancy school pictures.

Students need to learn to prioritize their spending. Frequently I saw students who told me that they had no money for lunch spending a couple of dollars in vending machine for junk food.

This is a great opportunity to teach students how to become responsible adult members of society with the help of parents as role models and the support of ASD.

-- Michel Villon

Anchorage

Throw out liberal-conservative debate; Bush is just a bad leader

In response to Mark Mendonsa's characterization of Homer ("Letters from Homer display misunderstanding of history," April 16), he might be surprised to know that conservatives outnumber liberals down here; it is a pretty centrist spot. As for me, I don't smoke cigars, am a newcomer to Alaska and have a voting record that includes Goldwater and Bush I, as well as Kennedy and Carter.

But Mendonsa's personal attacks don't change the fact that Bush and Cheney have committed illegal acts and should be brought to justice, just like the kids who vandalized the school in Willow. The "war" Bush and Cheney started was clearly for oil -- they sure fixed that problem, didn't they?

To consider Bush a "giant" who is securing our future is ludicrous. He is a small, stubborn man who has ruined our national reputation and economy and seems impervious to learning what he has done wrong.

What history has shown us is that diplomacy, backed by strength and resolve, can produce peace and prosperity -- think NATO and European Union. On the other hand, bullying countries rarely succeed and are more likely to end up poor and a third-rate power -- think Russia and Yugoslavia in the 1950s. Well, we are the current bully on the world scene and on our way to poverty, helped by an illegal war started by a small man.

-- Robert Burns

Homer

People Mover buses need change of schedule for weekend activities

Our city bus system is a great way to get around, especially for those who do not own a vehicle of their own. It limits car use on the roads (less traffic), is more environmentally friendly and is a great way to get your daily walk in going to and from the bus stop.

As a teenager, I did not have my own car and I had to rely heavily on our city bus system to get everywhere. I didn't mind this so much. What I did mind, though, was the cut-off service on the weekend. The times are much shorter during the weekend than the regular workweek. The hours the buses run during the workweek are later compared to the hours on the weekend schedule. This is when the bus times should be running later. It's the weekend! Live a little!

Don't get me wrong. The bus system we have is very nice, but a friend of mine from St. Petersburg, Russia, tells me of their buses. They have buses running every 10 to 15 minutes and late into the night. This is how our system should be. People would be able to do so much more during the weekend.

-- Tia Anderson

Anchorage

$15 million from Zyprexa lawsuit should be spent on mentally ill

Eli Lilly settled its lawsuit with the state for $15 million on March 26 over the use of the drug Zyprexa in the state's Medicaid program. Let's do the right thing and spend the $15 million on the chronically mentally ill patients in the state of Alaska.

The community mental health centers in Alaska that treat these patients are in very bad economic situations and may have to close because of lack of funding from the state. Whole programs have been discontinued because of lack of funding from the state. Staff members are tired of being unable to handle the workload resulting from lack of funding from the state. Highly trained and qualified staff are leaving because of the lack of funding from the state.

There are only a handful of detox beds in all of Southcentral Alaska because of lack of funding from the state. Homelessness cannot be dealt with effectively because of lack of funding from the state.

Spending the $15 million on services for patients would be a win-win situation for everyone. The drug company would be giving this money back to the patients they are serving. Alaska and our governor could set a precedent for the other states involved in these lawsuits and be the first to invest this money on our communities and the mentally ill.

-- Carolyn Ahlschwede

Anchorage

Anchorage's out-of-date port causes problems far and near

I would like to thank the Daily News for the recent articles about the Port of Anchorage expansion. I was alarmed at the fact that the obsolete cranes are already a big problem. They must be replaced soon and they need a bigger platform to support them. I think the Port of Anchorage expansion is one of the most important issues facing Alaska today.

All people in our great state depend on this facility far more than they realize. Economics and logistics are our common denominators. Whether you are rural or urban, left or right, Democrat or Republican, you and your family desperately need the material that crosses this port each day.

The port did all the permitting for the expansion correctly. If the environmental folks had a concern, then that was the time they should have been addressed. Already our port's obsolescence is causing problems. Our containers are already causing backups in Seattle and Tacoma.

Sealift is by far the most efficient means of transport available to us today. If you really care about the environment and the future of Alaska, you will support Bill Sheffield and the Anchorage port expansion.

-- John Dickens

Emmonak

Clean-water initiatives will hurt mom-and-pop mining operations

The backers of the clean-water initiatives blatantly lie when they say it won't affect mom-and-pop operations.

Read the initiative and see for yourself. All of it. It says, in part, that an illegal large operation would include one that has "adjoining, related or concurrent mining activities or operations." Guess what, folks? Almost all small mom-and-pop mining operations have other claims next to them on the same stream, mostly owned by others (not the same company).

It is not at all uncommon to have 20 or 30 small mining claims on the same stream. They usually share a common border. Are they not then concurrent? Are they not then related? Are they not then adjoining? They are.

With the stroke of a pen, these people have defined the average typical little 40-acre state mining claim as part of a "large" operation, which would be an illegal activity if the initiative becomes law (even if the only people on it are literally mom and pop with a shovel and pan!).

If they really wanted to target Pebble only, then why is the initiative written so broadly, so vaguely and so wide-sweeping? Looks to me that their real intent is to shut down the entire industry statewide.

It's not about just Pebble. They lied to you.

-- Marshall Ronne Jr.

Seward

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