Letters to the Editor

Readers write: Letters to the editor, June 20, 2017

Grow up, city people

This weekend was a great weekend for city people in Caswell Lakes. Noise, shooting and just being a pain in the ass. Besides not knowing where everyone lives, they must have an unlimited amount of firepower. They just didn't stop shooting. Even early on Sunday, still shooting. There is a place to shoot down the Parks Highway you can shoot at and no people around. That's not fun, is it, you idiots? Grow up, you idiots. People live in Caswell.

— James Christenson
Willow

Tolerance of differences needed

In response to "Suspensions," June 19:

As the mother of a student who is both gifted and has Asperger's and ADHD, I can sympathize. From third grade up until she graduated, students picked on my daughter, teasing her, trying to set her off. They weren't always successful, but if you harass someone often enough, they will eventually reach a breaking point. She was only suspended once, but it was due to daily teasing, which she had endured for three-fourths of the year without responding.

Students with learning disabilities tend to be terrible at self-advocation, not wanting to draw further attention to their already rocky situation. They also do not communicate very effectively, so when misunderstandings occur at school, they may not have the means to explain thoroughly; thus, they become the scapegoats.

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I am also a teacher of 18 years, and I believe I understand this issue from multiple perspectives. Imagine being one of these students. Not only do they have to work to understand everyone else, they are struggling to develop coping mechanisms for their own learning disabilities at the same time. This takes time, focus, organization, self-awareness and dedication. It's an awful lot to ask of a child. It is horribly stressful and creates insurmountable frustration.

It sounds like a problem without a solution, but nothing could be further from the truth. Programs and special curriculae do not need to be developed. This is a social issue. Tolerance of differences is not a very popular topic these days, but it is the answer. All it would take is a lowering of class size in K-12 in order to foster a stronger sense of community, and a reminder to teachers at in-service days that, through the lesson plans we already teach, we have the opportunity to promote the importance of diversity. Through our demeanor, we can model and teach them the power of human kindness. Our children are the future — maybe someone should remind the state legislators of this fact so they can start investing in it.

— Amy Utley
Anchorage

Can readers see OSHA report?

This letter is in regard to the fireman who was seriously injured while on duty in Anchorage a couple of weeks ago.

I am curious to know if OSHA has a preliminary report that's going to be published or a site readers can refer to for information on findings.

From past experience, not only does OSHA do an inspection of the accident site but often it inspects all work sites, meaning stations, shops, checking for safety code violations.

— Dave Bunnell
Sterling

A couple of topical questions

I have two questions for you. If a politician takes a bribe to pass a bill and it does not pass, does he have to give the money back? Nineteen thousand state workers may get laid off on July 1; does that include all the politicians in Juneau?

— Jim Bell
Anchorage

We need details of health plan

The new attempt to shove a health plan down our throats involves getting it passed into law before we know anything about its costs or consequences. Our congressional representatives say they value our input, but we can't give them that unless we know what changes are being considered. This is literally a life-or-death decision for some and cannot be passed in a "pig in a poke' manner. If our representatives vote for this plan, without hearings and careful scrutiny by all the stakeholders, we need to act quickly. We cannot wait to reply to such betrayal at the next election — we need to recall them NOW!

— Mark Beaudin
Anchorage

The views expressed here are the writers' own and are not necessarily endorsed by Alaska Dispatch News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a letter under 200 words for consideration, email letters@alaskadispatch.com, or click here to submit via any web browser. Submitting a letter to the editor constitutes granting permission for it to be edited for clarity, accuracy and brevity. Send longer works of opinion to commentary@alaskadispatch.com.

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