Statistically, we're not smartest in the world
Some political buzz words must be put in perspective, as may be true with today's "conservative" ideas of capitalism and socialism.
We're a capitalist nation, we conservatives declare. France is a classic case of socialism. Their government is elective as ours is, and they're a constitutional republic. But they remain a paragon of socialism. And who could argue, given that 53 percent of France's Gross Domestic Product is spent by government. Outrageous. Even Hugo Chavez's Venezuelan socialist government takes only 41 percent.
Then there's the undeniable dictum that figures can lie and liars can figure. France's 53 percent socialist spending includes its electric train system spanning the country at 170 miles per hour, powered by atomic energy. It includes socialized health care, the bane of any true capitalist vision of society. It might be one of the most effective health care systems in the world with infant and adult mortality rates lower than ours, but that is of little import because it's socialist.
Here in the United States we're a capitalist nation, and damn proud of it. The feds last year took up only 21 percent of GDP, though Obama is boosting it to 28 percent. Inherited Bush deficits with Obama enhancements alone will equal 12 percent of GDP. But wait, adding state and local governments boosts government GDP share to 40 percent and rising. Then add in our health-care costs, which leave millions uninsured, that now reaches 17 percent of GDP.
Adding a 40 percent U.S. government share of GDP to health-care costs of 17 percent, isn't that total of 57 percent of GDP higher than France's hopelessly inefficient socialist government share of 53 percent? And we don't even get an all-electric 170 mph train system spanning the country.
Perhaps we "conservatives" might consider waking up to reality, taking note that our true capitalism of only 50 years ago is already well down the socialist road, and not very effectively either, and 60 percent of that metamorphosis took place under "conservative" Republican leadership. Statistics seem to say we're not the smartest most ingenuous people in the world.
JACK VAN DIEN
Minden
Why should Fremont suffer from politics?
In response to "Time to mothball an elementary school," I can't believe that John McKenna would so blatantly call out Fremont, as if he has a vendetta or personal bias against our school.
Fremont is just like any other school in our community, it has a walking district, students, staff and parents who care. Why should we all be displaced and our students crammed into other schools because of past politics? I'm not sure why Fremont was built, and if it was to appease an "affluent group" of parents, but the school board members and administration from that time are to blame if that's the case. It's not fair to make the students pay the price now. Mr. McKenna you should be ashamed of yourself.
The current budget situation is unfortunate, but you need to remember that Nevada already ranks poorly in education (49th), so cutting back further and jeopardizing our future generation is not the answer. There are other cost savings that the district can put into action now without impacting our students so severely.
The Carson City school administration states that our enrollment is down by 700 students, but the fact is only 287 are from elementary levels, the remaining are from middle and high school grades (these are district numbers). Losing 287 at the elementary level since 2001 does "not" condone closing a school. It's less than half of a school and very premature.
If you close a school now the class sizes will be very large (30-plus students), we will have a lot of team-teaching situations, have more crowding and lower academic achievement as a result. Many students will fall through the cracks and fail.
Our students deserve a better education than that. You need to front the bill and pay for quality education now, or you'll be building more prisons and paying for it on the flip side. John McKenna needs to mothball his mouth.
ERIN LEHMAN
Carson City