Letters to the Editor

Suspending students works

Much of School Reform Commission member Lorene Carey's thinking behind the revised code of student conduct is as philosophically immature as it is administratively unreasonable ("Phila. schools get new code of conduct," Friday).

Community organizers don't believe suspensions address the causes of minor infractions such as dress-code violations and chronic lateness. While principals do need wider latitude to address these concerns, the reportage in the liberal press is remarkably silent about the lack of parental involvement when it comes to teaching children basic social skills.

Punctuality, preparation, proper attire, and, most importantly, a willingness to do one's best are the keys to success in school, as they are later in life. These fall squarely in the purview of parents, the child's first teachers, and, especially, the students themselves.

Cheerleading for students who misbehave will not avail. Neither will tolerance or accommodation. While children have a right to an education, they do not have a right to disrupt the educational process. Carey must be made to understand this universality.

Jonathan R. Verlin, teacher, South Philadelphia High School, teacherjrv@msn.com

Middle class its own worst enemy

Donald L. Barlett and James B. Steele blame the wrong people for the decline of the American middle class ("A political solution isn't hopeless - yet," Sunday). The truth is that the vast majority of Americans have only themselves to blame for the self-inflicted wounds that amount to personal financial suicide. Can we really blame the rich for the new ways we've found to flush more and more money down the toilet?

Nail salons, imported liquor, iPods, Caribbean cruises, tanning salons, car leases, Xboxes, expensive sneakers, huge tattoos, cocaine, high credit-card balances, bling, and completely useless (but still obscenely expensive) college degrees are just some of the snowflakes that form the blizzard that buries the American middle class deeper and deeper in debt. Yet the middle class goes right on wasting money, opportunity, and, thus, the American Dream as too many of its surviving members seem to follow the mantra of Alfred E. Newman: "What? Me worry?"

Steve Kmeco, Prospect Park

Require more ID from gun buyers

Now that the new voter-ID law is being appealed to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, maybe we should rethink our gun laws in the light of all the mass killings recently.

Why not ensure that only the truly eligible are able to purchase a weapon the same way that they say is needed to protect the vote? If we can't have people fraudulently voting, then we can't have people obtaining weapons who are mentally ill, felons, or buying through straw purchasers.

Why not protect society from this rash of gun violence just like we're protecting the right to vote? Let's have the same strict ID requirements to purchase a gun as we do to vote. You will have to bring in documentation that you are not mentally ill, have no criminal record, aren't abusing your spouse or children, aren't a sex offender, etc.

And don't forget that we can't register online, or vote early, and are prohibited from registering after 30 days prior to an election. That means we will need a 30-day waiting period to get a gun after we apply for one.

Michael Miller Jr., Philadelphia

It's not the tax rate, it's the loopholes

It seems to me that the debate about Mitt Romney's tax returns is a bit misguided. I'm confident that there are lots of Democratic supporters of President Obama who made $20 million or more last year and also paid less than 15 percent of that earned income in taxes. The problem is not with the effective rate of taxes paid, but rather the extensive number of loopholes that rich folks can afford to find and then subsequently take advantage of.

Both Romney and Obama should be talking about making fundamental changes in the tax system, rather than sniping about irrelevant nonsense. We cannot afford to do things the way that we have simply because that is what we have done. The system, from stem to stern, is broken. We cannot allow inertia to keep us on our current course. It would be a nice change if both sides would start putting forth their honest and real solutions to our problems, instead of producing the attack ads we get all the time.

Stephen Cooney, Pottstown