10/02/08 Letters to the Editor

Yakima Herald-Republic

Voting for Vickie Ybarra

To the editor -- I am writing to support Vickie Ybarra's election as our 14th District Position 1 representative. I have known and worked with Vickie and respect her leadership, nursing expertise and education needs' awareness.

Having someone so able to represent the Yakima Valley in the Legislature is important as we continue to grow and expand resources in our Valley. I certainly have seen Vickie's ability to organize ideas, groups and important advocacies in our work with farm workers. Development of grants is a specific expertise of Vickie's that can only assist all of us working with our state's funding decisions. Additionally, Vickie has a meaningful understanding of cultures working together so that goals are met. She also explains the importance of culture clearly to assist when discrepancies are present between people of differing backgrounds. The safety of the community's water is important to Vickie along with access to health care.

I support the election of a Democrat this year when so often I have voted Republican because I feel their platform is realistic and meaningful to the needs of the Yakima community and state.

Be proactive and join me in voting for the best choice for state representative, Vickie Ybarra!

 

SANDY WELLS

Yakima

 

 

Start young to end violence

To the editor -- Violence-free society must begin at home.

Stopping violence with violence is exactly what leads to more hate and violence. We must continue to walk in the path of past peace leaders and never respond to violence with violence. It is our responsibility to raise every child with a vision of tolerance and respect for all regardless of skin color, religious preference, sexual orientation or any of the million things that make each human wonderfully individual.

We must not fail our children. It is our job to look closely at what example we are setting. We must educate all of our kids. We need to love our kids and hold them close. No one is born a bigot. In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., "We must pursue peaceful ends through peaceful means."

It is possible to live in a violence-free society. It starts in your home and mine.

 

ROBERT ALAN WRIGHT

Yakima

 

 

Spanish mailing dismays

To the editor -- The last time I looked I thought I was still in the United States, but you couldn't prove it by a piece of mail delivered by the Postal Service recently. I, and all my neighbors, received a large post card written in Spanish, front and back. In order to figure out what it was about, there was some small writing in English to do with the automated postal center.

It is a sad day when an American citizen has to hunt for the English writing on a post card sent by our Postal Service.

 

SALLY SCHMITT

Yakima

 

 

Help children to learn

To the editor -- The recent letter to the editor about Eisenhower High School being named a failing "category 5" school under No Child Left Behind leaves me shaking my head. There are many people responsible for the education of children, including the community, school boards, superintendents, principals, teachers, parents and, finally, the students themselves.

It is a shame that NCLB places little, if any, responsibility on the student and/or parent for a student's education. World history students in my classes used to receive daily reading assignments and be told that there would be a quiz on one of those assignments during the week, but not on which day/assignment. They knew questions came from the end of each section in the chapter. That worked well in the 1990s.

However, shortly before my retirement in 2002, even informing students of the day, section and questions to be asked resulted in most students failing the quizzes. You can imagine the resulting grades for students not willing to read or prepare for a class. Any calls from parents? Nope!

There is a right to an education, but with that right comes the responsibility to work to achieve that education and parents have the responsibility to supervise that schooling.

 

JOHN PUTNEY

Yakima

 

 

Rosy in Yakima Valley

To the editor -- Yes, things are going very well. No, I am not ignoring the news I am getting from my broker. However, I have been to two dedication parties lately. One for the medical university and the other for the Heritage University expansion. These projects really put a smile on my face. What is being done locally in the field of health and education by the people of this Valley is just plain wonderful.

But to top off my glow, I am finding that many of my Yakima friends are actually thinking about how to vote for the good of our country. Yes, 2008 is going to be one great year.

 

JAMES "JIMMY" HOVIS

Yakima

 

 

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