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Working environment,
not pay, hurts WCCUSD
No shocking surprise in today’s East Bay Times reporting a physical altercation that took place between a substitute teacher/coach and a student at Richmond High School (“Students walk out, protest substitute teacher’s firing,” Page B1, Jan. 25). Apparently the words the student chose to address the teacher were libelous and insulting or “fighting” words — those which by their very utterance inflict injury or tend to incite an immediate breach of the peace.
Further, in this same paper’s editorial section Sarah Creeley states that the only reason WCCUSD is in crisis mode in order to garner and retain teachers is due solely to lower pay is ludicrous (“Low pay drives WCCUSD crisis,” Page A6).
Is it any wonder why there is a teacher shortage in the West Contra Costa Unified School District? One wonder what thoughtful person would elect to teach in a district that is both underpaid and where working conditions are not consistent with the norms of providing a safe working environment or educational opportunity for students.
Susan Busby
Concord
Strictly enforce current
laws to limit gun violence
Like everyone else, I am appalled at the spate of mass shootings that have occurred over the last week. However, I find it hard to understand that in spite of having the strictest firearms laws in the nation, California has a high rate of firearms-related crime. I read and hear of too many instances of unstable persons who were potential threats and had firearms, yet no intervention by the authorities was done.
Since the means to prevent these crimes already exist, the time has come for us to use them through diligent and aggressive enforcement of all existing laws and regulations. In this way, lawful firearms owners’ rights are protected, while at the same time, potential threats to public safety can be effectively dealt with.
This is also a solution that both sides of this issue can readily agree to.
John Francis Davies
Berkeley
High court is OK
with religious pressure
Re. “Justice Kavanaugh deserves gratitude for abortion stance,” Page A9, Jan. 22:
I’m confused by Marc Thiessen’s opinion piece. He praises Justice Brett Kavanaugh for not bending to political pressure, but he feels that it’s OK to bend the law to religious pressure.
Also, if I’m not mistaken, the other five justices, all Catholic, bend to this same pressure. They hide this under the banner of states’ rights. Some of these same justices during their confirmation hearings stated that Roe v. Wade was established law. Maybe freedom of religion should no longer be established law as well.
Tom Clifford
Hayward
Congress should stop
looting Social Security
I cannot seem to understand why Social Security and Medicare are always the answers to debt issues.
Let’s come to an agreement: Social Security is not an entitlement. All hard-working individuals have paid for it and then we are again taxed on it. Our Social Security funds should have never been a free-for-all for our government to use when they come up empty-handed on their end.
Every time you pick up the paper you see the millions of dollars being spent all over the place. I learned at a very early age that if you can’t afford it, tighten your belt and move on. Instead, we are the ones tightening the belt and our government just reaches in and grabs what they need. It stinks.
Ann Fagliano
Castro Valley
Source: www.mercurynews.com