Apparently, I struck a nerve with my letter to the editor.
Enjoy.
Aaron Starr
Treasurer
Libertarian National Committee, Inc.
(805) 583-3308 Home
(805) 404-8693 Mobile
starr...@pacbell. net
Some tough love for teachers
In response to the April 10 letters in the Acorn ("Pink-slipped teachers sound
off") by Mesdames Snodgrass and Barr, two teachers who recently received pink
slips and are urging us to raise our taxes at the ballot box to reemploy them:
Welcome to the real world the rest of us are experiencing.
Those of us who do not live off of taxpayers cannot take our jobs for granted.
In the last few months, my company laid off 400 of our 1,400 workers due to
economic conditions. The hourly workers remaining have seen their hours cut
back, and those on salary have had their compensation reduced significantly.
Now, you are asking all of our families to make further sacrifices through tax
increases so that your families won't have to share the burden. We should risk
missing mortgage payments so you won't have to.
Your unions have bankrupted our state by insisting on lucrative pensions and
lifetime free medical benefits. Have you seen the unemployment rates in this
state? Have you seen the newspaper notices of default on home after home? Have
you seen what has happened to everyone else's 401(k) plans?
Wake up and smell the coffee. Opinion polls I've seen show Propositions 1A
through 1E failing badly. It's not that we are lacking in empathy. It's simply
that we can no longer afford to bail you out yet again.
Take personal ownership of your situation. You two ladies are presumably
relatively bright individuals, given the profession you have chosen.
You are both more than capable of finding another line of work. Become part of
the solution instead of trying to shift your economic burden onto others.
It's a tough world out there. No one is secure these days. We are all
tightening our belts a notch or two.
If you want to increase your likelihood of being gainfully employed, you need
to find ways to become valuable and productive in the private sector.
Think of this as tough love.
Aaron Starr
Simi Valley
Letter aimed at teachers was short on facts
In response to the April 17 letter by Aaron Starr ("Some tough love for
teachers"): It was disappointing to see that Mr. Starr had put blatantly
inaccurate statements in his letter.
Mr. Starr wrote, "Your unions have bankrupted our state by insisting on
lucrative pensions and lifetime free medical benefits." I'm not sure where Mr.
Starr got his information, as he obviously did not do his homework.
In terms of teacher pensions, teachers pay 8 percent of their earnings into the
State Teachers Retirement System (STRS), and they are not covered under Social
Security.
Even if a teacher has worked other jobs under Social Security they lose all or
most of the benefits they have paid for, as they are offset by their STRS
pension.
In terms of being "lucrative," the STRS pension benefits are fully taxable,
meaning they come out after taxes to be about the same as Social Security
payments. Also the 8 percent they pay into STRS is more than Mr. Starr pays
into Social Security.
Also teachers do not receive "lifetime free medical benefits" from the state.
Teachers negotiate medical benefits district by district.
Teachers in Simi Valley do not receive free lifetime medical benefits. If
eligible when they retire, they can receive a small payment in the $300 range
to help cover part of their medical costs until age 65 when Medicare kicks in.
After age 65 they receive nothing to help them pay for medical care.
Lastly, I do not follow Mr. Starr's logic that because people at his company
lost their jobs, other people should feel his pain and lose their jobs.
It would seem to me that an economic recovery can only take place by people
keeping their jobs and those who are unemployed finding new jobs.
Mr. Starr has the right to his opinion, but it should be based on actual facts.
Arleigh Kidd
Simi Valley
Kidd is a consultant/organize r for California Teachers Association (CTA)
Region 3.
Sub says teaching not 'just any job'
Regarding the letters sent by two pink-slipped teachers and the irreverent
response by Mr. Starr in the April 17 Acorn, his letter suggests that the
teachers should simply take up other employment in the face of potential budget
cuts "just like the rest of us."
These two very conscientious teachers only sought to enlighten the community on
the ramifications impending personnel budget cuts were about to have on them,
and on our children, including Mr. Starr's and my own grandkids.
As a substitute teacher, I have seen the rigors that regular teachers face
daily.
As do all professionals who are dedicated to serving the public— just the same
as peace officers, firefighters or nurses—these folks deserve our support.
As a now-retired engineer, I've been afforded the unique opportunity to give
back to society in the classroom as a substitute. This experience has taught me
the respect and gratitude we all owe those who educate our kids that Mr. Starr
seems to have forgotten. His letter indicates that teaching is not any more
unique than his or other jobs, so just wake up, smell the coffee and find
another job.
Regrettably, as his letter indicates, a downturn at his company is forcing
layoffs. He expressed a view that the pinkslipped teachers should not be
categorized a special status, blaming what he considers lucrative pensions and
benefits as his axe to grind. This is an unfortunate mindset to harbor. Perhaps
he feels similarly about nurses, police and other professionals dedicated to
the public and their pensions and benefits?
I applaud these two teachers. They don't deserve to be caught up in the
maelstrom of budget dicing, and I fear that our future aspiring teachers in the
academic pipeline will become discouraged if we allow a mindset that relegates
teachers to "any other job" status.
Starr suggests that our two teachers "wake up and smell the coffee" as a
reality check for receiving pink slips. My suggestion to him is to wake up and
smell the real coffee brewed by our real teachers in the classroom every day.
Let's not marginalize those teachers who make it possible for aspiring students
to become future leaders. Jay Holsinger Simi Valley
Union rep's facts were distorted
In response to the April 24 letter by Arleigh Kidd ("Letter aimed at teachers
was short on facts"): I'm glad a paid union employee for the California
Teachers Association wants to talk facts; however, you distorted much of the
real facts in your response.
Teachers, and many other government employees, have been given special
provisions to not contribute to Social Security. Employees of business or
selfemployed individuals aren't allowed this special privilege.
The facts are that employees must contribute 6.2 percent to Social Security and
1.45 percent to Medicare. Self-employed rates are 12.4 and 2.9 percent, so
employees are paying slightly less than the teachers' 8 percent. Self-employed
individuals are paying significantly more.
You say, "STRS pension benefits are fully taxable, meaning they come out after
taxes to be about the same as Social Security payments." Are you telling us
that your teachers, whose contribution is 8 percent—you forgot to mention the
matching 8 percent paid by school districts and the state, so the 16 percent—of
their salaries put into pension funds annually for them, will end up being the
same as Social Security after taxes?
Do you really expect us to believe our teachers would willingly agree to
abandon Social Security for a pension that after taxes is equal to Social
Security?
Note per the federal tax code, Social Security payments aren't fully tax-free
and many seniors are also taxed on their payments.
Your comments on medical care are carefully worded and quite telling because
you know some state districts have previously provided and continue to provide
free lifetime medical care.
But since you brought up medical care for teachers in Simi Valley , why no
mention made to the fact that under the current union agreement teachers
contribute zero toward a PPO medical plan (not HMO like most businesses or even
lower-paid hourly school district employees)?
Now let's talk facts about proposition 1A and 1B (not fiction like the
commercials that the union is spending millions of dollars on to try to fool
voters).
1A isn't a "budget stabilization fund" as it's named; voters need to read
further: "Higher state revenue" means tax increases of $8 billion a year on all
Californians. 1B is nothing more than another power grab by the teachers union
to grant education more special privileges above all other state programs. Tom
Fabrizio Simi Valley
By protecting teachers we protect our kids
This letter is in response to the April 17 letter in the Acorn "Some tough love
for teachers."
I share Mr. Starr's frustration in these difficult times. My father, many
friends, co-workers and I have all recently been laid off.
We may believe that teachers should "suck it up" like the rest of us. However,
not all layoffs are the same. We aren't talking about using taxpayers' money to
buy toxic assets or cars no one wants to buy.
We aren't even talking about the jobs you and I may have lost due to waning
demand for our products and services.
This is our education system on which there is no shortage of demand. Your
"tough love for teachers" is actually child abuse.
In 1985 Whitney Houston sang, "The children are our future." The line "Teach
them well and let them lead the way" comes to mind.
If we don't invest in our children now, later when it is their time to lead,
how can we expect them to be effective in leading us into a better tomorrow? Do
these times warrant such a shift in ideals?
I would think as Californians we would not be satisfied being below average in
anything.
So how can we not be ashamed of being below average in something as important
as spending on our students? How can we expect our students to compete with the
rest of the country or, for that matter, the world?
Our students are competing against everyone to get into college and to gain
employment. The market for both is becoming more competitive, not less.
How can we send them out into the world less prepared than previous graduates?
Maybe we are content to allow the widening achievement gap to grow ever larger.
Maybe the middle class is doomed and any chance of changing our families'
station in life along with it. Maybe we just accept that if we can't afford to
put our children through private school then they are just doomed to work
beneath the children of the wealthy.
It seems like we must come to terms with the fact that the "American Dream" is
over, that not every generation is destined to do better than the preceding
one. With every cut we make to education we add another nail to that coffin.
Robert Malone Simi Valley
Teacher critics are missing the big picture
The April 17 letter from Aaron Starr ("Some tough love for teachers") is
greatly disappointing.
Mr. Starr is missing the big picture, and sadly it seems he is not the only
one.
Yes, it is unfortunate that people all around are being laid off. However, with
the teachers being laid off, it directly affects our future.
Your child or grandchild is being hurt from the teachers being laid off. These
education cuts hurt more than just the teacher's family. It hurts every person
out there who has a child or grandchild or those planning on having children.
Class sizes are increasing, and programs are being cut, and the list goes on.
We expect more from our kids but are not willing to provide the proper
education.
Our politicians should be looking elsewhere when cutting costs. Education is
not wasteful spending.
I'm more than willing to have my taxes raised to help pay for education. I'm
not willing to pay for the mayor to change all of our lights to LED, to
increase the size of city hall or the other items he hopes to improve.
First and foremost should be our children and their education. The most
important contribution we as adults can make to society is providing for our
kids. They are our future.
So it is fine, Mr. Starr, that you don't feel sorry for the teachers. But at
least realize that their loss is our loss, too. Staci O'Connell Simi Valley
Public employees unions are sucking California dry
Regarding tough love, I could not agree more. We have reached our limit.
If you haven't heard, businesses and people are leaving California ; they can
no longer afford to do business or live here. Our state government's spending
has been out of control for years.
Most of the overspending is due to the unions of state, county, city workers
and special interest groups. As long as you have any money in your pocket your
government will try and find a way to remove it, i.e., Props 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E
and 1F.
Starting with the governor and state legislators we should impose a 25 percent
cut in their pay and benefits. The cuts should increase 5 percent each year
until they cut spending to the point the budget is balanced or they quit.
They might like to start by cutting the more than $5 billion a year they spend
of your money on illegals—that might pay for some of the teachers.
If, since 1990, state spending increases had been held to the inflation rate
plus population growth, the state would have a $15-billion surplus instead of a
$42-billion budget deficit, which is larger than the budgets of all but 10
states.
Since 1990, the number of state employees has increased over a third. In
Schwarzenegger' s six years as governor, per capita government spending,
adjusted for inflation, has increased nearly 20 percent. Have you seen any
improvements or just higher taxes?
It is only your jobs and homes they are taxing away. John Duntley Simi Valley
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