LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

By Staff Reports

Published: December 27, 2008

Where Was the Secret Service?

Editor, Times-Dispatch:

Where was the Secret Service? Why was an attacker allowed time to be seen as a threat (hurling the first shoe) and then given more time to repeat the attack before one individual (whom I presume was on the president's security detail although he didn't act like it) even begins to approach the president?

In this instance it appears the greatest power on Earth abrogated the security of our president to a couple of Iraqi reporters who ended up pouncing on the shoe-throwing perpetrator after the attack.

What looks to many like a harmless incident instead demonstrates a deeply troubling and appalling failure of those responsible for protecting our president.

President-elect Barack Obama should add this item to the growing list of what needs fixing in America.

Mark Singer. Richmond.

Cutting Salaries Brings Better People?

Editor, Times-Dispatch:

The writer seems to have hit on a brilliant new idea. If we apply this same logic to other fields, perhaps we can attract more and better people by simply lowering salaries. If we cut the pay for school teachers, for instance, perhaps we can attract teachers who "wish to help people" rather than those who want "to become rich." The teacher shortage will be solved. The same reasoning can be applied to firefighters, mental health workers, nurses, soldiers -- perhaps even CEOs and politicians. Cut their pay and that will attract more and better people.

Robert H. Harris Jr. Charlottesville.

State Workers Earned That Extra Day

Editor, Times-Dispatch:

It seems Alcorn is unaware of the layoffs that have happened in months past, the budget cuts, the lack of raises, the current projected layoff of 600 more state employees, and the fact that state employees are the most underpaid employees in Virginia. The courts alone operate with at least 435 fewer employees than needed. The fact of the matter is that most state employees have to work two or three jobs in order to make ends meet. Of course, it is their choice as to where they work, but salaries in the public sector are drastically less than that of the private sector.

I will submit that there may be some agencies with room to cut -- or that may not be as frugal as others -- but I can assure Alcorn that court employees have one of the toughest jobs, operate daily understaffed, and deserve any extra time off that is granted by the governor.

Did Alcorn stop to think that by having the state close the extra day, that possibly it was saving money by cutting operational expenses? I can guarantee the day that state employees get off does not contribute to the deficit. Alcorn should remember we did not get a raise this year, and rarely do state employees get a cost of living increase.

I hope Alcorn enjoys his holiday, as the state employees will enjoy their hard-earned extra day off.

Barbara A. Warren. Richmond.

Next Time, Consider The Trend Lines

Editor, Times-Dispatch:

In citing eighth-grade math SOL data from 2005-2006 to make a spurious point that class size does not matter as a predictor of student performance, you present an incomplete and biased picture. One wonders what exactly this editorial's subtext is.

While 44 percent of Charles City eighth-graders passed the math SOL in 2005-2006, subsequent years saw outstanding improvement: 72 percent passed in 2006-2007, and 84 percent passed in 2007-2008. Equally outstanding, black eighth-graders went from a 36 percent pass rate to an 80 percent pass rate in 2007-2008, exceeding the 72 percent statewide pass rate for blacks.

In Chesterfield, eighth-grade math pass rates barely budged over the subsequent two years, and the pass rates for blacks went from 66 percent to 74 percent -- below the Charles City pass rate. Meanwhile, over in Amelia, there was little change in overall pass rates over subsequent years, and the black pass rate improved from 60 to 71 percent (still below that Charles City pass rate).

Overall, then, Charles City schools last year had higher pass rates than both Amelia and Chesterfield. I guess smaller classes can mean more than "less work for teachers."

Mark Mochary. Henrico.