Nearly 10 years ago, when I was a senior at Mascoma Valley Regional High School, Principal Patrick Andrew gave me my first piece of college apparel: a Bowdoin sweatshirt. The gesture made a big impact on a kid who grew up in a trailer on a dirt road in Grafton.
More importantly, though, it justified the effort my parents, teachers and administrators had invested in me. During my entire Mascoma experience, I encountered nothing but the absolute best: dedicated educators, challenging curricula, unparalleled friendships and parents who coached us after school.
I maintain that the true measure of a public school’s greatness is its ability to provide opportunities to children who would otherwise not have them. I am forever indebted to this school district and to Mr. Andrew, whose leadership and indefatigable faith in Mascoma inspired a generation of students.
How heartening to experience a deliberative session on Saturday filled with neighbors, classmates and former teachers who share these beliefs. I still cherish that college sweatshirt, Mr. Andrew. After accompanying me through college and graduate school, it has returned with me to the very district that made it all possible.
Andrew Cushing
Grafton
Service, Compassion and a Dog
We are grateful for the caring thoughts in the many letters, cards, emails and hugs we have received since Plato, our therapy dog, died (“Requiem for a Child’s Best Friend,” Jan. 21).
Children, teachers and friends of Plato shared their insights and stories with us. Some never met Plato, but had the shared experience of grieving for a faithful companion. All of your communications affirmed that Plato’s life of service and compassion is abundantly present in Vermont and New Hampshire.
Ray and Mary Chin
East Thetford
A Bad Nominee
Frank Edelblut, the candidate to become New Hampshire’s commissioner of education, pushes for “school choice.” His nomination should be defeated.
As I see it, Edelblut thinks that parents should be allowed to direct students to different schools based on the parents’ social class, politics or religion. He believes that those schools should not be held to a common educational standard. We must resist this separate and unequal schooling.
We should contact Executive Councilor Joseph Kenney to help him understand that we need schools that support our children learning a common core of information that will make our society strong. Our country moved away from school segregation 70 years ago. Moving toward schools with parental and student homogeneity is moving toward segregated schools. It is a bad way to go.
Charles Townsend
Canaan
Alternative Funding for the Wall
Dear Kellyanne Conway and Stephen Bannon:
I hope it is not too late to make some changes to the strategy for paying for the wall. President Trump promised us that Mexicans would pay for the wall. A tax on Mexican imports will actually be borne by all people here in America. That breaks Trump’s promise, but I think the situation can be rectified.
We know hordes of Mexicans are living here in America. Presumably, they like Mexican products and will be paying the import tax. We must not deport them until the wall’s cost is fully paid. If anything, we need more Mexicans here to shoulder the cost of the wall. Perhaps we can find creative ways to attract additional Mexicans into the country.
In addition, a tax on exports to Mexico would actually be paid by the people of Mexico. Perhaps President Trump can make deals with other countries to also tax their exports to Mexico and give the receipts to the U.S. That would add a lot of money to the Mexican Wall Fund and give President Trump a great opportunity to show off his deal-making prowess.
That still might leave a good number of honest, hardworking Americans paying for the wall. The president and some of the billionaires in his Cabinet could contribute to a fund to provide tax relief to Americans to reduce their wall payment burden.
I know I failed to provide any numbers, but I am not sure which alternative facts and figures to use. Please use your best judgment in computing the needed tax rates and numbers of Mexicans to import. Oh, and feel free to present this to the president as your own scheme. It is not plagiarism if you have my permission.
Lloyd Kvam
Lebanon
Reject Fairlee Bond Proposal
To all Fairlee taxpayers regarding the proposed Fairlee bond issue:
If you are in favor of spending $1.1 million and possibly more on the Town Hall and paying higher property taxes for the next 20 years, vote yes on the bond issue.
If you want to maintain control over spending and the municipal tax rate, vote no on the bond issue.
Here, in our view, are the primary reasons to vote no:
1. The bond issue would obligate taxpayers to higher taxes for the next 20 years. This would be on top of a 27 percent increase in the municipal tax rate in just the last two years.
2. The bond issue adds an estimated $250,000 (and possibly more) to the cost of improvements the Selectboard wants to make to the Town Hall. This is the interest cost of the bonds. The exact amount will be unknown until firm quotes are received.
3. There is no ceiling on the interest rate the Selectboard can accept.
4. Taxpayers lose control of spending by the town.
5. The proposed improvements include projects that are not essential to meet the requirements of the fire code and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
6. The town is likely to be faced with other essential capital projects in the near future.
Let’s maintain taxpayer control over spending by the town. We recommend a no vote on the bond issue.
John Wetzel, Gary O’Donnell, Larry Martin, Kathy and Duane Cook, James O’Donnell
Fairlee
More Than a Piano Store
We lost more than a piano store: The recent fire at Frederick Johnson Pianos was tragic. I had the pleasure of working at Frederick Johnson Pianos’ northern branch in Shelburne, Vt. For many years, they helped build my piano-tuning business, feed my children and employ my craft. I’m absolutely devastated by the loss.
A piano store is more than retail space. It is a community center. It is a safe harbor that instruments always provide. It’s hard to fathom how much harmony has been delivered over the decades and how much tension the cadence has released. A skillful tuner makes the harmony sound easy, but we only notice once it’s gone.
John Daly
Hinesburg, Vt.
How to Talk About Trump
“I am your voice,” President-elect Donald J. Trump declared at the Republican National Convention. In another campaign speech, he told his supporters, “I alone can fix it (the country).”
Trump’s go-it-alone strategy accelerates. Since taking office, two of his rapid-fire executive orders include: abrogating multilateral treaties and banning refugees from seven Middle Eastern and African countries. Though designed to protect us and ensure a more equitable international order, they have created confusion and despondency among many citizens and world leaders.
In his inaugural speech and subsequent actions, Trump impresses as being ahistorical. He deprecates prior administration policies and procedures and assumes that he must start anew. His impulsive feelings and vacuous thoughts limit his vision and drive his actions.
How do we respond? Some possibilities: Vent with like-minded people; express one’s views to legislators; demonstrate in marches; participate in community and state politics and the like.
One challenging response is to discuss issues with others holding different views from my own. I ask myself if I can be open to and accepting (not necessarily agreeing with) the other’s views. Can we develop a shared vision despite glaring differences? For this, I try to keep the following in mind.
Know where I stand on the issues and what my intentions are. Am I trying to change the other’s view or to understand him or her?
Know where my bottom line is. At what point would my integrity be challenged?
Know my “hot buttons.” To calm myself, pay attention to not only what the other is doing, but also what I am thinking and feeling.
Listen attentively to the other. Paraphrase and question for understanding. “Let me check out what I understood you to say.”
Don’t reject the other’s position. Look behind it. Acknowledge that once a situation has been perceived in a particular way, it is difficult to view it in any other way. Probe deeper for interests, principles and alternatives. Try to develop a shared view of what is important.
Offer my opinions and state my value position in an open way: “I think we need to examine possible consequences of the ban on refugees.”
Bob Scobie
Lebanon
Oh, What a Nightmare
I had the worst nightmare the other night, waking up in a pool of sweat, after dreaming the Patriots came back and won the Super Bowl!
Boy, thank God it was just a bad dream. Wait a minute, why does the Valley News have a front-page picture of Tom Brady! No, this can’t be true. You’ve got to be kidding me. Did Donald Trump have something to do with this?
I can’t take another year of Patriots fans (my relatives and friends) gloating over their team. The only thing I can do is dig out of my closet, and wear with honor, my two New York Giants “Super Bowl wins over New England” T-shirts. Maybe this will shut them up!
Phil Edson
White River Junction
Nixon, Now More Than Ever
I never thought I would miss Nixon!
Eric Sailer
Lyme Center
Covering Issues of Bias and Racism
The Valley News has published several articles over the past few months regarding bias and racism. Despite the very low percentage of people of color in Vermont and New Hampshire, don’t you think these articles and perhaps subsequent ones would exhibit greater credibility and further understanding by having someone of color to lend their lived experience rather than just episodic, and often anecdotal experiences?
Allene E. Swienckowski
Quechee