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Solve the teacher housing problem with higher salaries

Re: Where will the teachers live? April 23.

I suspect that most readers of this article will come to the same conclusion reached by Florida Education Association spokesman Mark Pudlow: "The best solution is to raise salaries."

Offering housing that forces educators, law enforcement officials and firefighters to reside in government-subsidized housing isn't the answer.

Why do we continue to have a problem hiring people in such fields? We set high standards to recruit for such positions, and then expect them to work a second job in order to meet their bills. Three of my adult children have college degrees, one a master's. They serve our community in the capacity of teaching/law enforcement. Whether on the street or in the classroom, they place their lives on the line day in and day out.

When are we going to get our priorities right and properly compensate these public servants for the jobs we have asked them to do?

Re: Where will the teachers live?

Thanks for yet another slap in the face for teachers. Our representatives in the County Commission and city councils continue to support developers who build for the rich while turning their backs on those who make a community a real community. People who live for a purpose greater than wealth are being priced out of a place that they, too, would like to call home.

The idea of a few low-rent, commune-style apartments is condescending, insulting and nowhere near how this community and the state should treat its educators. There are thousands of education, police, fire, medical and civic professionals whose families deserve a decent home.

It's time to start demanding our public officials find solutions that are more than gratuitous Band-Aids for what is truly a crisis in values. And the time to do this is before you drive past the teacher commune, the police commune and the nurse commune on your way to find a parking spot a few miles from the condo-choked beach.

Re: Where will the teachers live?

School districts are tossing around the idea of building low-rent apartments and low-cost townhomes to attract teachers to Florida communities. Why would an individual who is capable of attaining a four-year college degree go into a field where he/she would need to live in subsidized housing?

Florida has a teacher shortage, which means that even the most incompetent teachers will continue to be employed by our schools. It is time to raise teacher salaries so the best and brightest will be attracted into the field.

My husband and I are both teachers but have not encouraged any of our bright and talented children to become educators. They will be more appreciated and better rewarded in other careers.

In his April 23 column, Democrats pandering at the gas pump, Philip Gailey, in his usual "attack all things Democratic" mode states, "Democrats, meanwhile, need to show and tell. If they have an energy policy, they need to put it on the table."

It is a pity that he is so ill-informed. In the manifesto, "Energy Independence 2020," signed by Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid, a number of points are laid out to make the United States no longer dependent on foreign oil by the year 2020. Some of the more important points include:

1. Reducing burdens on the consumers and the environment by preventing oil company price gouging and protecting pristine public lands from shortsighted oil and gas exploitation.

2. Launching an Apollo Project for energy to free the United States of dependence on foreign oil by supporting research, development and production of alternative energy sources and investing in math and science education for the next generation of energy engineers.

3. Diversifying and expanding our energy supplies by enhancing incentives for energy production from solar, wind and geothermal, increasing the production of domestically grown biofuels, and supporting development of a hydrogen economy.

4. Reducing demand for oil and natural gas by lowering petroleum use in the federal fleet, improving government conservation efforts, providing consumers with more fuel-efficient vehicle choices, and increasing mass-transit use.

There are a number of other points in the manifesto, which can be viewed at http://democrats.senate.gov/energy/about.html I highly recommend it to Gailey and to anyone who is tempted to fall for his misinformation.

Re: Democrats pandering at the gas pump.

According to this article, Exxon Mobil Corp. announced that its departing chairman and CEO, Lee Raymond, "will walk out the door with a retirement package worth close to $400-million."

Think of that, folks, when you pull up to a gas pump and fill your tank (if you can afford it). Think of all the weak excuses we have been given over the years for the grossly inflated prices: world unrest, speculation, per-barrel price rise, holiday approaching, summer coming, greed.

What other necessary commodity can cut back production, keep a huge reserve, raise prices and cite "supply and demand"? They cut supply and demand more per gallon.

My only consolation in this whole mess is in the quotation found in Matthew 19:24: "It is easier for a camel to get through a needle's eye than for a rich man to get into the kingdom of God."

President Bush's recent offering of a plan to ease rising gas prices was more like a list of platitudes. Some of his ideas have been around for decades.

Our current national energy policy was written in secret with the large oil corporations in attendance. How are Americans to expect an effective 21st century energy policy when both George Bush and Dick Cheney bleed oil?

Re: A cross they can't bear, April 23.

Play me "Hearts and Flowers"! If you are really interested in helping these people, become a strong advocate for secure borders. If the ones coming found they were not going to be able to cross illegally, maybe they would stop coming and their family and friends would not have to worry about their dying in the desert.

So often the unsung heroes, the illustrators and graphic artists, provide what catches your eye and makes you want to read a story or dig into a special promotion section.

Patty Yablonski's very creative art on The Domestic Divide (April 24), about gender outlooks on housework, was very good. Thanks to her and her co-workers for adding to the enjoyment.

[Last modified April 30, 2006, 00:58:16]