Letters: McConnell a hypocrite on Jan. 6 riot; questioning school taxes, grades
McConnell a hypocrite
We now have Sen. Mitch McConnell announcing opposition to a commission to investigate the Jan. 6 Trump fueled insurrection where five people died and millions of dollars of damage was done to the U.S. Capitol, but in May 2013 he was all for a Benghazi investigation, where he said:
“What I think we ought to do is complete the investigation and find out what exactly happened. … And I think we have a sense of what happened. We know there was inadequate security, we know an American ambassador and three other brave Americans got killed, and we know the administration kind of made up a tale here in order to make it seem like it wasn’t a terrorist attack. I think that’s worthy of investigation and the investigations ought to go forward.”
I wonder how an attack on one of our embassies can be worthy of a complete and thorough investigation, but an attack on our U.S. Capitol by right wing radicals in an attempt to subvert the electoral college vote count and certification of the November 2020 presidential election not be worthy of an investigation.
Joe Crouch, Lexington
School tax proposal
I would like to commend the teachers in our community for the great work they’ve done this past year meeting the challenges and demands caused by the pandemic.
However, like many residents in Fayette County, I’m rather concerned and surprised there is any need for a property tax increase this year. With schools being closed for a year there should have been significant cost savings realized throughout the district. To name just a few areas where money should have been saved:
▪ No busing of students; no gas, no drivers and no maintenance on vehicles.
▪ No cafeteria service. Only box lunches provided to some students.
▪ Minimum facilities operations, maintenance and custodial service.
▪ Reduced level of utilities in most buildings.
The biggest cost savings should have come from the salaries and benefits saved from non-instructional staff and service employees who did not work while schools were closed. The savings here should be tremendous.
It is very thoughtful the school board is waiving fees for classes and that all students are receiving free meals this year. I just hope the board gives equal consideration to the many families impacted by the pandemic when proposing a property tax increase.
Ken Riha, Lexington
Grades aren’t all
In response to Delvin Azofeifa’s “Education Theater” op-ed: Let’s do some math. “Give” a student no less than a 50% for a class. What would this student have to achieve in the next semester to pass? A 100% averages to a 75 (C); 80% averages to a 65 (D). Less than 70% would result in failure. A student would have to do an about-face in order to pass. Do the math again, but instead of the 50%, try a 0%. Even if the student completed every assignment with perfect accuracy next time, failure. An F is an F, but that 50% — a chance for redemption.
Then think about what “it” is that grades are assessing. If a student doesn’t turn in any work, does that mean he doesn’t know it or he didn’t do it? Two different things.
Many Fayette County Public School high schools and Tates Creek Middle School have been practicing standards based grading (SBG) for years. SBG eradicates some of the worst consequences of traditional grades. SBG holds students responsible for LEARNING content. It also can instruct/support “employability skills” i.e. on time, work completion, attendance, attitude, etc. Check out The Learning Center (TLC) as an excellent model.
Often, grades are not the best indicators of the knowledge and potential of people.
Elizabeth Tronoski, retired educator, Lexington
Share vaccine wealth
The COVID-19 outbreak in India is a humanitarian crisis with global implications. It’s also a powerful reminder that we won’t end this pandemic anywhere unless we end it everywhere.
The world is facing a vaccine access crisis. While wealthy countries continue ramping up vaccinations, only 0.4% of COVID-19 vaccines globally have been administered to people in low-income countries. The United States alone has secured well over 550 million excess COVID-19 vaccine doses.
As a Lexingtonian, I care about this because I have seen the devastating effects of lack of access to quality healthcare in my own community and while working in Africa and Latin America.
Kentucky’s elected leaders, including Sen. Mitch McConnell, Sen. Rand Paul, and Rep. Andy Barr should call on the Biden administration to do more to share America’s vaccine stockpile equitably with countries in need.
Regardless of whether you live in Lexington or Lagos, Kentucky or Kenya, we’re all in this fight together. Sharing excess vaccines isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s the smart thing to do to reduce the spread of variants, reopen the global economy, and end this pandemic faster, everywhere.
Angelique Bell, Lexington
‘Cancel culture’
Harvey Weinstein is a convicted rapist and Herald-Leader contributing columnist Paul Prather said he would “bully his employees” and “pressure actresses into unwanted sex”. The word he’s looking for is “rape.” But it’s clear from his “cancel culture” article that Prather isn’t interested in learning about perspectives that don’t match his narrow worldview.
I’ve heard nuanced perspectives on “cancel culture” exploring intersections of gender, race, and sexuality. Yet people like Prather never discuss the thousands of LGBTQIA people banned from Twitter because neo-nazis abuse the “reporting” features, or the ways in which Twitter’s algorithm makes it easy for vulnerable people to get “dog-piled” by bigots.
Instead, we’re inundated with headlines about powerful men desperately wanting to play victim. Then they downplay violent acts like rape — which affects one in five women — thus perpetuating the cycle.
I understand Prather just wanted a headline-grabbing phrase for his pithy sermon about “mercy”. But my generation is tired of boring, angry men ranting stale “insights” about cultural movements they aren’t willing to understand. Ultimately, they hurt people and then cry that they’re being persecuted.
Bronson O’Quinn, Lexington
Money not solution
A victory lap is in order for President Sanders (ops, I meant Biden). After pouring trillions into the economy, the April jobs report fell flat.
So let’s dump another couple trillion on these problems, only this time we’re going to pay for them by taxing the rich. The problem is, doing so will not come close to paying for this scale of spending. You can tax them into poverty and not come close to raising that kind of money. So let’s tax big corporations and make them pay for it. Another problem: A portion of all corporate taxes are ultimately paid by blue collar workers, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
You cannot “grow” an economy by flooding it with money. President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal did not move the economy out of depression; World War II did. President Barack Obama’s trillion in stimulus money petered out after 90 days.
Richard Bendure, Richmond
Plan a ‘lifeline’
No Congressional Republican voted for the most recent COVID-19 stimulus legislation, the American Rescue Plan, including Kentucky’s two senators and five House members. Components of the plan have been or will be implemented as time proceeds.
The plan focuses on middle class, working people, and vulnerable citizens. Sen. Mitch McConnell and Republicans opposed the plan from the outset, voicing concern about deficit spending. Republicans were dismissive of state and local government aid. State and local governments were forced to manage costly COVID-19 activities. With the economic collapse both lost significant revenue. The Republican position is that assistance is not needed, pointing to an improving economy. Republicans never made a compelling, factual case that additional economic assistance wasn’t needed.
The last two Republican presidencies have ended in economic crises; George W. Bush with the near collapse of this country’s financial and banking system in 2008-09, and Donald Trump’s mismanagement of the pandemic and resulting shutdown of normal American life and economy. In the former, Republicans were unwilling to fund adequate fiscal spending to heal the economy. A full recovery took years. With Democrats controlling the presidency and Congress this time, 2008-2009 will not be repeated. This plan is providing an economic life line for our state and citizens.
Danny Shearer, Lexington
Now help us
Hey Republicans: You and President Donald Trump were able to help the rich with tax cuts. Now let the Democrats and President Joe Biden help the rest of us taxpayers!
Jerry Thiedich, Nicholasville
Marijuana query
It is wonderful that Candace Olusola, in her recent op-ed, did research on the chemistry of marijuana and possible harms of marijuana. Now, perhaps she can tell us all the health and social benefits of punishing people who have harmed no one but themselves.
Clifford Schaffer, Lexington
Own your choices
Some people claim former President Donald Trump “incited” a riot. This is false. No person can force anyone else to join a riot if that person refuses to participate. We all have free will. Even if refusal to join a riot results in retribution, refusal is still an option. Any attempt to force someone to riot when they choose not to do so will either be unsuccessful or will require use of illegal force or coercion. Do not blame someone else for your bad behavior. Instead, consider this passage from the Torah: “Before those who slander me, I will hold my tongue; I will practice humility.”
Twice in my life I have been a victim of slander and libel. Both times I followed the Torah’s advice. Any attempt to fight back would have caused distress for people I love. It was easier for me to bear the pain myself than to live with having caused pain to others. I made a decision that allowed me to look in the mirror and see a person who did the right thing in a difficult situation. We all have that option.
Martha Victoria Rosett, Lexington
GOP ‘delusional’
Last winter’s one week of winter weather left my driveway and front steps encased in ice. My north facing house had too much shade to melt the ice even though the temperature was nearing 60 degrees. The ice on the south facing houses across the street had completely melted.
I was reminded of a business trip long ago. I was driving a rental car on a highway listening to the radio. The station got out of range, so I pushed the seek button on the car radio to find another station. The unmistakable voice of Rush Limbaugh came on. He said that global warming was a hoax and that all the pictures of glaciers melting had been altered digitally. He said no glaciers were melting.
Those were lies, but you couldn’t even call it lying because he was just saying what he, and all his listening fans, wish was true. They wish the world wouldn’t change and if someone would just get rid of all those leftist liberals then they could all go back to the good old days of “Ozzie and Harriet”. Following Limbaugh’s lead, now the whole Republican congress is this delusional.
Kevin Kline, Lexington