Open Forum

In response to March 13 Vox Pop: Kids come first. It appears that the fat cats at the top are overweight for the size of this school district. We don't need any of these positions except for two principals. The school board can start doing their job by having the two principals report to them.

I haven't heard of any of the school board positions, superintendent, principals, etc. offer to give up their 2002 pay raise to help out. Why is it always the people who are "hands on" with the kids always get the shaft?

The people of Pillager school district had better hang on to your wallets. The next thing coming over the horizon is the school is running out of room. If the school board can't fix this in a better way, perhaps the people of the school district should look for new board members.

George Brancato

Pillager

Get real!

I have been reading, with interest and concern, the articles in our paper about all the cuts in our area schools and the pros and cons of the Nisswa turtle races and Baxter Walmart Superstore.

Get real people! We are cutting principals, teachers of English, industrial arts, foreign languages, math and science plus elementary teachers and school nurses. I have yet to see one cut to any athletic programs. I ask, "How many of our high school students will become pro athletes compared to the number who will have to go out and get a job that may require the use of math, science, industrial arts, English or perhaps in our ever shrinking world, a foreign language?" Think about it. When was the last time that the Brainerd lakes area had tons of our students go on to be pros in some sport?

Here we are arguing about a Walmart Superstore or if we are hurting turtles by using them for a fun activity for our kids, when we should be worrying about our children's education. (By the way, I've been to the turtle races and these animals are not being abused or hurt in any way.)

I say build the Superstore and keep the turtle races. Perhaps our uneducated children, when the become adults, can get a job at Walmart or earn money selling or renting turtles for the summer turtle races. It may be the only job for which they are qualified.

Marie Bode

Brainerd

War doubts

The late President Johnson used to say if we don't stop "them" in Vietnam they'd soon be storming the beaches of San Diego.

President Bush has been unrelenting in his insistence that we must go to war (man's ultimate folly) to stop the Iraqis in order to "protect the American people." Now we are told that Iran has made "shocking" strides in the development of nuclear weapons. We already know about North Korea and our dismally botched diplomacy there.

Now we are on the verge of what may come to be called the ultimate immorality of the new 21st century. It is not easy to find justification for the most powerful military in history launching a massive attack on a woefully unprotected civilian population for the purpose of eliminating an evil and tyrannical regime.

Thus far the inspectors have shown the "threat" is a perceived one. After Iraq is Iran next? Then North Korea? Will this perpetual war end only when we've bankrupted the treasury, which is already over $6 Trillion in the red? There are those who suggest the ravages of ideology has already rendered the U.S. morally bankrupt. The enthusiastic support of the Religious Right for Mr. Bush's rush to war gives credence to that suggestion.

John Niedenfuer

Deerwood