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I read a news report recently that says President Barack Obama wants to shorten the summer break and to lengthen the school days for the nation’s children.
Obama said, "Now, I know longer school days and school years are not wildly popular ideas," the president said earlier this year. "Not with Malia and Sasha, not in my family, and probably not in yours. But the challenges of a new century demand more time in the classroom."
I agree with Obama on this point, it is not a popular idea. I also believe it is the wrong approach to fix our government-run schools. Do we really want to give the government more access to our children?
We here in Hall County are blessed with some wonderfully gifted teachers. Teachers who are dedicated to the education of the young minds put in their charge daily. Teachers who are not inclined to teach toward a socialist and humanist agenda that is prevalent in our nations schools today.
That said, even the most gifted and dedicated teacher can only do so much.
If we want to fix the education of our nation’s children. we must get over the village idea that Hillary Clinton brought to light when she said, "It Takes a Village to Raise a Child."
Mr. President, I respectfully disagree with you: Our nation’s children do not need more time in public schools.
What we need in our nation is not more time in government-run schools for our children. We need more responsibility on the part of parents. We need parents who are involved in the education of their children. We need parents who take time to teach values and morality at home. We need parents who take an active role in the education process.
We need to turn off the television at night and spend time with our children one-on-one. Hollywood has too much influence on the education of our children.
We need to learn to listen to them. We need to read to them and listen to them read. If we leave the education of our children solely to the government, we have done them a grave injustice.
Let us remember the words found in Proverbs 22:6: "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."
Personal responsibility: What a novel concept!
The Rev. John Spinks
Oakwood
Pro-abortion view violates our nation’s right to life
In response to Kyle Shook’s letter Thursday, I encourage him to take a good look at our Constitution. I don’t believe he will find any reference to "reproductive rights" in the document. What he will find, if he examines the Declaration of Independence, is that our Creator has endowed each of us with the "Unalienable Rights ... Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."
The last time I checked, to snuff out the life of a baby is a direct violation of its unalienable right to "life." Many people seem to be forgetting or ignoring the "rights" of millions of Americans in this abortion debate.
Mr. Shook thought it "lunacy" that people brought their children to the Life Chain. Kids are born with sensitive consciences; ours have been dulled and seared through the years. We don’t have to explain all of the ins and outs of abortion to them. They inherently know that it’s wrong to kill babies. Period.
I’m shocked that there isn’t more uproar over this disgusting practice in our country. How low have we stooped in our "haven of progress" that we brutally kill the most innocent among us because they aren’t "convenient."
And to quell the argument made by many pro-abortion advocates that if abortion weren’t legal, there would be many more abused or neglected children, ask the hundreds of thousands of couples waiting to adopt a baby whether they would take those children. The rates of child abuse and neglect have risen dramatically since abortion was legalized because our society now views children as disposable and unimportant.
If it is OK to kill a child before it leaves the womb, the logic is he or she must not be very valuable. Nothing could be further from the truth.
I think it’s quite ironic that Mr. Shook quoted Susan B. Anthony in his argument. As a pro-life feminist, Susan B. Anthony called abortion a "most monstrous crime." Look it up.
Michelle Thomas
Gainesville