Letters to the editor March 24

The point of public education

I was surprised and, yes I’ll admit it, disturbed by Mr. Merchant’s belief of what public education was for. Things like “creating a yearning in children to be in school so they may enjoy the acceptance and approval of their classmates and teachers.” And “the whole point of public education is to enable kids to accept and get along with each other.”

I always though schools were there to equip our children for life by teaching basic skills like reading, math, writing, science, history and the appreciation of art and music. These skills enable students to get jobs, make wiser choices and continue learning the rest of their lives.

Trying to gain the acceptance of their peers can be very foolish and create “pawns” in life, easily swayed. Common courtesy and respect given to teachers is good and beneficial but those who have achieved greatness frequently thought outside the box. We need entrepreneurs, inventors and doers, not passive pawns who just want to “get along.”

I realize there are high-need children, but we already have Head Start. I believe that his accretion that placing all young children in a “school” setting is beneficial would be questioned as many studies show that young children learn much through play and exploring, which sets the groundwork for real learning. It’s the parents’ job and privilege to determine how best to train their children, not the government.

I truly doubt that placing all our children in school at four years will “heal our communities and protect our future.” It’s much more complex than that.

—Sharon Salyer, Kila

Trails need maintenance

Although recent news articles and opinion writers have enthusiastically endorsed the valley’s continually evolving trails network, trail maintenance is an often-overlooked issue. For example, today’s rapidly melting snow is uncovering an abundance of dog poop that not only detracts from area aesthetics but also poses a potential health hazard.

Below are some examples of chronically impacted trails and parks: Round Meadow cross-country ski area, Herron Park, Lone Pine park, Whitefish city trails, Lion Mountain, Skyles Connection, Twin Bridges, Beaver Lakes, Swift Creek, Haskill Basin, Big Mountain trailhead, and most fishing access sites. Because public education and volunteerism can only go so far, area land managers need to get more serious about addressing this burgeoning maintenance problem.

—Steve Barrett, Kalispell

Global warming hypocrisy

The diatribe from the anthropogenic global warming advocates has crescendoed once again, and I feel compelled to respond. There are no end of hypocrisies in this ideologically-blind movement, and I can’t respond to them all in one missive, so I’ll try to be as basic as I can in my response of today.

Let’s start by making an observation: There has never been a nexus established between global warming or cooling and CO2 levels — ever. There have been high levels of CO2 in periods of cooling and vice versa — but never a direct nexus established between warming or cooling. Secondly, let’s ask three questions: Does man have greater impact on the climate than (1) the sun? (2) oceanic oscillations? (3) stochastic events such volcanic eruptions, fires, etc.? The answer in each instance is obviously “no.” So, how can we say that the current naturally occurring warming period is caused predominantly by human activity? To assert so is to argue that man is pre-eminent over natural forces, and that’s nonsense.

So let’s go back to appropriate expectations. Let’s expect that we’ll be responsible stewards of our resources, and stop this anthropogenic global warming hypocrisy!

—William Gehling, Lakeside

Rural internet access

Without access to broadband internet, students are unable to keep up in the classroom, patients are denied the promise of telemedicine tools and rural businesses are locked out of the global economy.

Thankfully, Senator Daines stood up for rural America when he wrote a letter to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) about the issue this week. In the letter, Senator Daines asked the FCC to remove the regulatory barriers holding TV white spaces back – a technology that wirelessly delivers broadband connectivity to underserved communities by using vacant spectrum between broadcast television stations.

When so many in Washington are focused on issues that don’t concern us in rural America, I am thankful to know my representative is fighting for our interests. I can only hope that the FCC considers the common-sense proposals made in his letter.

—Bridget Holland, Helena

Socialism is a law of nature

The 2018 Democrat landslide ushered in a group of bright young progressive women who have the courage to tell America what needs to be done to get the country out of the conservative ditch. Republican heads are exploding all over the country. Wild screams of SOCIALISM, “wink, wink, communist dictatorships,” comes from all the right-wing talking heads.

I’d like to make some comparisons of democratic socialism and capitalism. If you or members of your family are receiving Social Security, Medicaid or Medicare, that is socialism. If you have a credit card balance and are paying 25 percent interest, that is capitalism. Every time you leave your home for work or travel and you drive on public roads, that is socialism. If you don’t have health insurance and can’t afford to buy any, that is capitalism. If you were educated in free public schools, if you ever needed the fire department or the police, that is socialism. If you have been working for years or decades with virtually no increase in pay while everything you buy gets higher and higher, that is capitalism. When you flip a switch and REA power comes on, that is socialism. If taxes take one of the biggest chunks of your wages while the rich pay little or in some cases no taxes, unfair taxation, that is capitalism. When after the blizzard the roads are plowed, the snow removed, and pot holes filled, that is socialism. The U.S. military and national defense are in fact socialism. A government program paid for with taxpayer dollars.

Surprise! Capitalism is never going to go away. Capitalism is a law of nature, like water flows downhill. Every living creature with a beating heart is a capitalist when they take their first breath.

Socialism is human nature. When the first humans started walking upright they banded together to gather food and for protection. They formed societies. Socialism is in our DNA. Intelligent people in the 21st century can democratically use socialism to harness capitalism to create a society that works for everyone not just the top 10 percent.

—Tom Shaughnessy, Kalispell