Key to the back door
I had to chuckle--no it was a Hillary belly laugh--when I read the letter the other day from the "snobby old fussbudget" (her words, not mine) of Cherokee Village. She is worried about the possibility of a "hot-dish nudie" occupying the same White House spaces as some of our revered former first ladies. In the unlikely event that Donald Trump wins, she wants to refuse Melania a key.
Unless the "snobby old fussbudget" has been with Rip Van Winkle, she should know that many hot-dish nudies have preceded Melania, from Marilyn to Monica, and that's just in recent years. Does she think for a minute that Bill won't have a key to the back door?
Oh, and as for counting the silver, she shouldn't worry. I'm sure everything has been nailed down since the Clintons mistakenly took thousands of dollars' worth of our stuff when they left. They were kind enough to return it upon request.
Alas, this is just more one-sided liberal logic. The sad thing is that I am afraid she doesn't care.
Deus existo nobis.
HOWARD HUGHES
Maumelle
Liberal education lost
I, too, along with Paul Greenberg, bemoan the fact that current educational practices have resulted in the loss of liberal education in America, which has resulted in the decline of a capable citizenry.
As a teacher of over 40 years, I have personally seen the undermining of American instruction as the result of external, mostly federal, controls. The result has been that the goal of liberal education, which emphasizes the development of the student's intellectual abilities, has become replaced by the goal of simply preparing the individual for a career--the providing of professional skills through what has become essentially vocational and technical education.
Unlike that which we see in today's educational system, the aim of a liberal education is not the development of professional competence. Rather, it is the cultivation of the intellect and imagination in order to produce individual human beings who know how to use their minds and are able to think, critically and independently, for themselves, to write, and to reason. Such an education provides society with people who can become leaders in many walks of life.
Among other reasons, the effectiveness of America's public school system has deteriorated because it has been used for the purpose of engineering social outcomes. When teachers spend most of their days filling out forms and providing mandated pseudo-academic instruction on topics such as race, class, social mixing, and other social concerns, a liberal education is no longer possible.
JANET L. JAGITSCH
Springdale
The answer, perhaps
I have often wondered about Fox News employing so many young, pretty females as hosts and commentators, mostly blonde, but a brunette on The Five, who in their relatively short lives have gained such profound knowledge about politics, economics, national security, foreign affairs, etc.
Maybe now I have the answer in the sexual-harassment lawsuits filed by Gretchen Carlson and Andrea Tantaros against Roger Ailes and Fox.
GEORGE W. McCLAIN
Little Rock
Why teachers teach
Why are there teacher shortages? Arguably, a few of the causes may be accurate to a minimal extent: low wages, poor mentoring programs, being bogged down in paperwork, etc.
As a past public school teacher, a personal account of this phenomenon would argue that money is not the issue, as my bills were paid and I was not going hungry, nor my kids or wife. The paperwork was not that cumbersome or deterrent to the fact that I loved education, students and being a large factor in a child's potential for success. Students oftentimes have parents with blue-collar, low-wage jobs, but have teachers they look up to and possibly even aspire to be like when they grow up. Those students who when real young were dreamers, thinkers, believers, and the like begin to slowly see the truth to it all: Most of the white-collar jobs are just too difficult to attain. No matter what the teacher does, many students lose hope eventually and begin to realize their societal destiny and capabilities. As a teacher I don't think there is enough money, support, or mentoring that could fix these issues.
To fix the teacher shortage, we must fix societal divides; we must re-install hope and dreams that are attainable and realistic and not so far-fetched. A student and his teachers should be able to truly know that they are able and on the path to success within realistic means. When I was younger, when asked what I wanted to be when grown-up, the answer was not a special education teacher, but maybe a doctor, lawyer, dentist and, heck, maybe even a police officer, fireman, or the president. Nowadays, students may say mathematician, engineer, video game creator, or professional athlete. Who would say they wanted to help others be much more successful than themselves? Teachers are the individuals that do that, and that is why most teach. Do they deserve better for doing so?
SHANE HAMPTON
Fayetteville
All deserve fair shake
If you ask enough people in our community if they're able to sustain their families and make ends meet, you'll quickly find out that too many of my friends and neighbors aren't getting a fair shake. Even as the economy has turned around, most Americans haven't seen any improvement in their pay.
It's just plain wrong that companies pay the people who make our food, care for our loved ones, teach our children and stock the shelves at the stores where we shop so little that they can't afford the basics.
The bottom line is that we all are worth more than CEOs say.
How do we get back on track? It's vital, but not enough to demand that profitable corporations create jobs that allow our community to thrive. We must continue pressing our elected officials to boost the minimum wage and enact standards that value families.
This Labor Day, let's remember that every person should be able to earn a fair return on the work they do.
SHEARLE FURNISH
Little Rock
Editorial on 08/30/2016