As a parent of a fourth- and seventh-grader and a Lebanon taxpayer, I write in support of the Lebanon School District modernization plan.
This plan includes improvements for all schools in the district, including a kitchen at Mount Lebanon School so students can enjoy food prepared on-site, additional classrooms at Hanover Street School to reduce crowding, and an auditorium at the high school to provide performing arts and assembly space for the entire district.
These changes will benefit every child living in Lebanon and make the city a more attractive place for young families to settle. A strong school system with modern facilities is one of the major drivers of property values in a given town.
I often hear it said that buildings don’t educate students, teachers do. And in my experience, the educators in Lebanon are doing an amazing job teaching my children. However, one could just as easily say that hospitals don’t cure patients, doctors do. But those doctors need modern facilities to do their work — would you choose a hospital that hadn’t upgraded its operating rooms since the 1960s?
The demands of modern society require a highly educated workforce, and our school facilities play a critical role in the way our teachers are able to provide that education. To that end, I strongly urge all Lebanon voters to vote “Yes” on Article 2 on March 13.
Daniel W. Mielcarz
Lebanon
I first visited Paris in July 1995. The second day of the trip happened to be Bastille Day, and my hotel was a block from the Avenue des Champs-Élysées. I was awakened to a tremendous roar and made my way to the avenue to watch, with awe, a military parade. Tanks and all sorts of gigantic military vehicles and endless lines of marching soldiers were periodically flown over by military aircraft: helicopters, low-flying formations of fighter jets, and enormous planes both clunky and stealthy.
I clearly remember thinking, What the heck is this all about? We don’t do this in America. We don’t parade tanks through the streets of Washington, D.C. We are the “New World” and a peaceful nation with no reason to flaunt our military.
In my mind I tried to make some sense of why France was holding this military parade and decided it was either a tradition passed down from the pre-revolution monarchy or was some lingering response to World War II. The whole scene was eerily similar to newsreel footage from Nazi Germany. I had spent a semester in West Germany nine years earlier and shuddered to think how I would have felt if I were observing a similar parade in Berlin.
Trump has ordered the Pentagon to produce a “grand military parade.” The cost to organize and transport equipment and personnel to Washington, the distraction this will be from the important work the military does, and the damage that will be done to Pennsylvania Avenue and other roads is concerning. But what scares the heck out of me is the symbolism of a military parade, the message it sends to the world and the creep toward fascism it suggests.
Ellen Wood
White River Junction
Donald Trump recently told his military advisers that he wanted a military parade, not just any parade, but one that was bigger and better than the one he had experienced in Paris for the annual 2017 Bastille Day celebration. This from the individual who sought a draft deferral for bone spurs in his feet and called Arizona Sen. John McCain a loser because he was captured and imprisoned during the Vietnam War.
Why does he want a parade now, while we are still involved in the never-ending wars in Iraq and Afghanistan? Why would he want a parade now, which will cost the Pentagon (and us taxpayers) millions of dollars, despite being told how cash-strapped the military is and diverting resources from where they are most needed? Is it that we don’t celebrate our appreciation for the military throughout the year; are our soldiers asking for this parade? Is the parade about our soldiers, or is it about Trump?
I’m not sure if Trump has ever taken time out of his busy schedule of tweeting about the flag to regularly visit veterans who are hospitalized at the various Veterans Affairs hospitals throughout the United States. I’m sure there is one near Mar-a-Lago in Florida.
But if Trump really cared about the men and women who have made incredible sacrifices while serving this country, rather than showing off to the world our fighting machinery (which is already on display in Syria and Afghanistan), have a grand parade up Pennsylvania Avenue on Veterans Day and invite and pay homage to all veterans — especially those who, as a result of their service to country, suffer physical disabilities or emotional and substance abuse disorders. It would be an incredible sight.
It’s not the machinery that makes this country great, but the men and women who serve. Sadly, if you have listened to Trump’s prior rhetoric, he probably does not look on them as winners.
Paul Manganiello
Norwich
To the voters of Lebanon Ward 2: I have decided I am willing to serve one more term on the City Council and have submitted my paperwork to be listed on the ballot.
After much reflection, I realize that this is not a good time for change. My familiarity with the ongoing operation of the city and the projects in progress will, in my opinion, be beneficial to Lebanon and the new city manager.
Bruce Bronner
Lebanon