Vouchers are pathway
Having read J. Fred Hart Jr.'s letter to the editor in support of vouchers, it is apparent that he has no understanding of many public school parents' opposition to giving public money to private or parochial schools. He doesn't seem to know that parents who already have children in private or parochial schools now get a voucher for their children. That voucher takes money away from public schools which are in dire need and generally always get short shrift when it comes the Legislature's allocating money.
A big objection to vouchers for some is that we have some counties in Arkansas that have no private or parochial school. Public education is guaranteed; private or parochial is a choice. If parents want their children in private or parochial schools, they should be able to afford it. Public is always available to children whose parents cannot afford to pay for their schooling. Vouchers are a pathway back to our beginnings when only the children of the wealthy could attend school. Draining money from public schools can lead to the shuttering of some public school doors.
PATTIE SHINN
Huntsville
Local school expense
I have lived in Springdale for 48 years and am very proud of the Springdale school system. I am happy that a large portion of my property tax money goes to support the schools my four children attended. Now I am retired and have no children in school but am still pleased that my taxes are used to keep the Springdale schools operating efficiently. The public school is the lifeblood of any town or city.
Now that the LEARNS Act has been implemented, a portion of my taxes subsidizes families wealthy enough to send their children to private schools. Many of these are private religion-based schools that advocate beliefs I probably do not support. If a person has children attending one of those schools, I would support the portion of their property taxes that go to public schools be transferred to the private school their children actually attend or to offset the expense of homeschooling.
I cannot understand why my tax money should ever be used to support religious beliefs I do not adhere to. If every Arkansas property owner is forced to subsidize religion-based schools, then at a minimum the private schools should be required to meet the same standards and testing requirements public schools must meet. They should also be required to accept any child that applies, just like public schools are required, and make accommodations for the student as needed.
My grandchildren all attend Bentonville schools. The school system is consistently ranked one of the top in Arkansas, with the majority of their schools receiving A ratings. Even though Bentonville has an excellent school system, there are also several private religious-based schools operating within the Bentonville School District. Obviously the parents sending their children to these expensive private schools are not avoiding a poor academic environment.
If your religious beliefs are so strong that you are willing to spend thousands of dollars to have your children indoctrinated in those beliefs, good for you. But please do not ask me to financially subsidize your children's tuition at the expense of my local public school.
KEN DAY
Springdale
About the rule of law
I remember a time in America when breaking the law was against the law, but it seems in Joe Biden's America, breaking the law is the law. What do you expect from a man who reportedly plagiarized his way through college, lied his way into the Senate, and dissembled his way into the White House?
Biden, in his ever-present idiocy, has opened the floodgates and allowed millions of migrants to illegally enter this country, with many of them being the worst of the worst. Tragically, these depraved individuals treat America as their personal amusement park.
And why wouldn't they? The appalling result is we have a country riddled with crime and no punishment.
It appears the immigration bill liberals wanted so badly to pass would allow 5,000 illegal immigrants into our country every day with no restrictions. Imagine that, the ultimate oxymoron: legal illegal immigrants. Who'da thunk it?
And it's actually worse than you think. Liberals don't want law-abiding citizens to own guns, but NewsNation reported a federal judge in Illinois recently ruled illegal migrants can carry guns. Guess who will likely pay for them--and die by them? Only with Democrats would such fatuity be the norm.
In California and New York squatters are seizing Americans' homes and trashing them like they're rage rooms, with little or no repercussions for their actions.
I believe almost none of this would be happening with Donald Trump as president, and he will probably win if the election is fair, but it's possible Democrats could cheat their way to victory. They're well-schooled at that.
I believe liberals are such a wretched bunch they would vote for Caligula as long as his last name isn't Trump.
RICHARD D. SANDERS
Benton