VOX POP

Maybe teachers should ratify their contracts like the U.A.W. just did and vote to take less pay. U.A.W. realized if they didn't they may not have a job. If teachers are really for the kids like they say they are, then do like the U.A.W. and ratify. Put a freeze on salary increases to save schools and programs for the kids.

Guess what?

Perfect. Put Nisswa school on the chopping block to save $150k in busing and watch all of those students go to Pequot Lakes. Guess what? That means less government funding to the Brainerd district for each lost student. Maybe if the Gull Chain was realigned to the PR/B School District and Pillager District, we could base all of 181 funding off of Brainerd and Baxter taxes.

Put yourself in my shoes

I am a single parent of two children and voted "no" on the referendum. I work two jobs to make ends meet six days per week and usually 10 hours per day. Please can someone tell me how I am able to make "sacrifices" for our children? I have $500 in savings and live paycheck to paycheck. I plainly and simply cannot afford any more taxes! To those who hate me and are ashamed of my "no" vote, put yourself in my shoes!

Gotten out of control

Enough is enough. The whining is getting sickening. The voters voted no - overwhelmingly no. So on that note, board members need to fix what has obviously gotten out of control. If I budgeted the way the district has, I'd be in jail.

Enough

Haven't we seen enough of Mr. Begin in the paper? It is hard enough to stomach the results of the vote but to see him in the paper constantly is enough to make you (sick). Mr. Begin needs to quit sticking his nose in everything and let the board figure out where to go from here.

Don't point fingers

Everything I have read indicates that No Child Left Behind is sucking the life from every school district in Minnesota. Rather than pointing fingers at each other, let's find out what can be done to remove the most costly and egregious legislation ever foisted upon our school district.

Didn't know what he was voting for

Now I have truly seen it all. Mr. Marv Begin has now gone to the school board and asked them not to close the northeast Brainerd schools as "people have moved there so their children could be close to schools." This is the very thing that he voted for. Well, Mr. Begin, you got your cake, but now you want to eat it too? It's too bad Mr. Begin didn't know what he was voting for before he misled so many other voters to the polls.

Expensive vs. devastating

How ironic the Begin disciples question the use of high safety vehicles for our children and the same day a lead story on the front page of the Minneapolis paper asked, "How safe are the rented vans?" used by our schools. Yes. Education is expensive, but ignorance can be devastating.

Rubbish

Yes, I hate children. That's exactly why I voted no. Give me a break, would you? How much longer is the Dispatch going to print this rubbish?

By the way

When I went to school, we had to walk two miles each way in rain, snow, heat or cold. We shoveled a path to the outhouse and carried water from the well. Our extracurricular activities were football, basketball and band. Optional classes were home economics, shop and typing. Despite being born in a poor family and receiving what many would consider sparse educational opportunities, I made my first $1 million by age 40. Luck? I think not. Four of my brothers and sisters achieved as much or more with the same dismal education. By the way, I voted no.

Worth every dime

Great job, Warrior football team. It was a great season. To the person who asked who paid for the 24 buses, the adults paid $25 and the students paid $20. It was worth every dime. We had a great time.

Look on the bright side

As though it appears most of the 8,700 no voters were seniors (hence: election day pictures, Open Forums, Vox Pop writers) who claim they are not against the kids but simply cannot "afford" the tax increase. Well, if that's the case, we should see about 5,000-6,000 less of you seniors at area casinos or at local liquor establishments playing pull tabs. Yahoo!

Smoking Gestapo

Great idea. No smoking in condos and apartments. Then let's extend the law to automobiles and private homes. When the jails are full of these violent lawbreakers, we should force this scourge on society to construct Stalags to house criminals who dare to chew tobacco. And, God forbid, those who sneak an occasional alcoholic beverage (which by then should become a major felony).

Not credible

If our school board hadn't been so sly as to have a vote for a middle school in March when a lot of our population was south and didn't vote, we wouldn't be closing schools. According to them our Franklin school was not safe for the students. Now it is safe for artists and possible housing. Our school board is not credible.

No need for another referendum

No need to spend money on another referendum in six months. It will be defeated by a larger number because of the attitudes of the losers this time.

Why does he have a say?

I was looking at (Thursday's) paper and there's an article from a man ... who said Brainerd's not home anymore. Excuse me? He's so concerned about the taxes and children here, then he should bring his happy hind-end back here and start paying taxes instead of writing letters from someplace other than where the tax money is coming from. Why do you even print that garbage? Why does he have a say in what goes on with our taxes when he doesn't even live here?

Vox Pop, voice of the people, publishes Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Submissions are limited to 100 words. To phone in a comment, call (218) 855-5888 and leave a message. To e-mail a comment, write to voxpop@brainerddispatch.com. Comments, which must meet the newspaper's standards of fairness and good taste, may be edited for clarity, length and libel.