Consider facts on salaries for TPS teachers

1/27/2005

A recent letter writer saw no need to raise teacher salaries. The author stated how much teacher salaries rise in Sylvania, Maumee, and Ottawa Hills over the first five years of employment.

I would like to dish out the statistics for teachers in Toledo Public Schools for the first five years of employment. The starting salary in TPS is $32,697 for a teacher with a bachelor's degree. After five years of successful employment, that same teacher will be making a whopping $34,099, which is a raise of $1,402 over five years. To find the percent of increase in the salary, we divide 1,402 (the raise) by 32,697 (the starting salary) and get a 4.287 percent increase.

Since that is not even a 1 percent raise per year, I think that we teachers have a reason to take offense to every Tom, Dick, or Ron that complains about our "high" salaries. If we want a change in school funding, then vote out the Republican incumbents who have done nothing for more than 15 years.

Ed Wooten

Stoneham Road

Journalism has taken a serious hit to its credibility over the last four years. But I find it rather hypocritical that the same people who are calling for the pink slips of Dan Rather, CBS, and all "liberal media" are the same people who gave President Bush and his staff a free pass on the false information he supplied to America on the Iraqi police action (No, it is not technically a war).

I agree journalists should hold themselves up to higher standards and hold themselves accountable for their actions. But what is worse - misquoting people or killing thousands of our own troops?

Maybe the right wing needs to redefine "accountability." Telling Barbara Walters you have no regrets is not my definition of accountability.

Paul Haslinger

Garrison Road

Our Founders had a biblical Judeo-Christian world view: God creates us. We are all equal in His eyes. He gives us the right to life, liberty, and property (Thomas Jefferson said these rights "are the gift of God"). By our own free will we are responsible for our lot in life. The role of government, therefore, is to protect God's gifts to us, not curtail them.

Because humanity is flawed, checks and balances must restrain government. Further, government must encourage good behavior in its citizenry by supporting religion. George Washington's view was typical: Religion and morality are the essential pillars of civil society.

The Constitution prohibited Congress from establishing a national religion and from meddling with states and localities in religious matters.

For example, virtually all of the original 12 states had constitutional provisions providing religious tests or oaths for officeholders. The U.S. Supreme Court never deemed any of these laws (later repealed by the states themselves) unconstitutional. If a village wanted to have a religious display and there was opposition, the matter was resolved in the voting booth, not the courts.

The radical leftists controlling the Democratic Party accept none of this, believing people are born good and only society turns us bad.

In order to impose their perfect socialist society, the Founders' America must be destroyed: God must be discredited and banished so that all rights come from government. Thus government, controlled by benevolent leftists, becomes God, decreeing what rights we do and do not have. To convert the people, the public square, and our history, must be scourged of all religious reference.

The left's atheistic/socialist world view was responsible for the deaths of more than 100 million souls in the past century. Today's leftists, however, believe they will do better. The undeniable history of human nature says otherwise.

Michael O'Brien

Bradner, Ohio

Now that the election is over, the Bush Administration called off its search for banned weapons in Iraq. Conditions continue to deteriorate and the death toll climbs. George W. Bush has ruined our credibility in the eyes of the world, killed and maimed untold thousands of people under false pretenses, and abused his power as head of the military. The Iraqi people are caught between us and every jihadist in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.

His lack of remorse is not leadership, a true leader admits mistakes.

This President can never repay the debt owed to the soldiers and their families. He owes them, the Iraqi people, America, and the world an enormous apology, an unconditional and immediate withdrawal, and a letter of resignation. He did not deserve to be elected, and he certainly did not deserve a $40 million inaguaration.

Sally J. Keller

Sabra Road

It was with great sadness I read of Art Barrie's passing. Many years ago I was one of the Tiedtke's patrons interviewed by Mr. Barrie in the lunch room.

He had a way with people. You could have called him Toledo's "Bob Barker."

A year ago I wrote a letter to The Blade remembering Tiedtke's and Mr. Barrie. He called me. We chatted quite a few minutes about the "old days." I felt really honored that he took the time to call me.

Once you met Mr. Barrie you never forgot him. He did say I spelled his name wrong. But he forgave me with a chuckle.

My heart goes out to Mr. Barrie's family. Their loss is also ours.

Margueritte Sorrell

Walbridge

It was with a touch of sadness and nostalgia that I read of the passing of Toledo radio legend Art Barrie.

I remember growing up during the summer, my father would come in from working on the farm at noon and the first thing he would do was turn on the noon news with Jim Uebelhart on WSPD. Then we would always listen to Art Barrie and his interviews from the Seaway cafeteria at Tiedtke's.

It was my first exposure to quality radio and it has stayed with me since. I also remember the gas company newscasts with Jim Uebelhart, the fine and cultured radio voice of Eddie Kutz, the entertaining morning program of Chuck Parmarle's Alarm Clock, and, of course, Ron Tindal's Top of the Tower hour on Friday evenings from that jewel of a Toledo restaurant that I had the pleasure of eating in many times.

Ah yes, for the good old days of quality radio before Rush Limbaugh was ever heard of. Art, you will be missed by many Toledoans.

Larry Wagner

Holland-Sylvania Road

The audacity of those Ohio Turnpike tollbooth operators thinking they deserve a wage that would give them some standard of living for devoting their entire lives to inhabiting a four-by-four cubicle for eight-plus hours a day.

I mean, really, all they do is sit there in sub-zero temperatures all day, inhaling carbon monoxide fumes, waiting for that unfortunate truck driver who has dozed off at the wheel to come barreling into their booth and make their children orphans!

The job is so rewarding, they should volunteer to do it. Come on, let's be real, they don't deserve a decent wage or to benefit financially from spending weekends away from their families - only us highly intelligent people do!

And remember, creating more lower-paying jobs is the answer to our foundering economy!

Sue Brown

Temperance

We've come to know that both politicians and weathermen make predictions. Meteorologists predicted less snow for our area this winter. President Bush and Vice President Cheney predicted that we'd find WMDs in Iraq.

Unfortunately, both were wrong, yet at least we can enjoy some winter fun with the weatherman's wrong call.

Denis Eble

Westcastle Drive