Letters to the Editor for Saturday, February 27, 2010

It’s time to control the ‘Beast of D.C.’
For the last two years all the media outlets, liberal and conservative, have constantly reminded us of the recession-driven layoffs, cutbacks and furloughs.

Most businesses, state governments and local governments have suffered in some form or another during this economic slow down, however, we have not heard of any belt-tightening whatsoever on the federal level.

With the average federal worker now making significantly more than the average private sector worker, it is time to wake up, people! It is our money. With everyone else making sacrifices, why can’t federal employees and administrators do the same?

Just think how much money the country could save if the entire federal payroll had to take a 10 to 20 percent pay cut. What about reducing their work hours and retirement benefits? How about laying off the 20 percent who are not contributing anyway?

It is time for the federal government to do what is being done by everyone else in this country. Enough is enough. If we the people do not get control of this beast, it will devour us all.
RICK READ
Goode

Pay now or pay later
A crowded auditorium resounding with cries of support and brightly colored signs held high. People spoke who would not normally speak in front of hundreds and multiple cameras, pleading for their schools, teachers and children.

Thursday night’s School Board meeting in Bedford made for an emotional gathering like nothing I’ve ever seen before. As an educator, I’ve never been through such a time as this, and I listened Thursday night to veterans who told of how lowering teacher pay created an exodus of the best teachers and a recruitment of the worst in a county that paid the lowest salaries.

My heart sank and not because I will be paid less, say $200 a month less if two schools close and who knows how much less if they keep them open.

My sadness is for my children who will attend bigger classes, for those children who will lose their schools, for my colleagues who already work two jobs because their salary just does not pay the bills now, for the amazing teachers on staff who say they can’t pay their mortgage on anything less, so they will begin looking for another position in a neighboring district.

While these are awful options to face, the most painful is knowing the community wants only the teachers to foot this bill, as though our salaries can cover a $10 million deficit. (It’s not $7 million folks. You must account for the loss coming in FY 2011-2012 and from the county coffers that would have come to the schools as well.) We alone are expected to pay for the shortfall.

Did you know one proposal in the General Assembly is for a temporary 1 percent grocery tax?

If a family spent $500 dollars a month in groceries, they would contribute $5 dollars a month solely to education, and this could close the gap.

Five dollars out of all our pockets to save our schools, our teachers, our programs — preserve all that is good in Bedford County Public Schools versus 200 or more out of our teachers pockets and close schools, watch the quality of teachers lessen as they leave for other districts or work two jobs and see our extracurricular programs shrink.

The choice is obvious.

The question is what do Bedford County citizens value. If it’s keeping property taxes the lowest in the region, then we have lost the battle for our children’s education, and then I’ll propose we start saving money to pay for more prisons and rehabilitation centers. Nearly 80 percent of individuals in prison do not have a high school diploma.

We either pay now, or we will pay later.
SHANNON MAY
Forest

Numbers don’t lie
The Virginia state budget from 2003 to 2010 increased by a whopping 51.5 percent, from $24.98 billion to $37.85 billion.

It is difficult for me to understand that there isn’t a lot of fat that can’t be cut.

Simple approach. Have each agency cut 5 percent.

Just do it and stop the baloney.
DAN LYNCH
Lynchburg