Thursday, November 19, 2009
Employers hire graduates with proven skills
Letters to the Editor
Recent letters to the editor
- Letters: A home-school mom pays taxes, too
- Pick of the day: Home-schoolers reject public schools
- Pick of the day: Passing the buck won't stop abuse
- Letters archive
From the RoundTable blog
Read the latest entries
Employers hire graduates with proven skills
Re: "All he is asking is give youth a chance," Nov. 15 commentary:
Thomas Wright sounds like a disappointed young man, but I think he is looking in the wrong directions for help. He protests that recent graduates seem to be at a disadvantage when compared to older and more experienced workers, that this disadvantage can somehow be tied to his elders' failures or the recession or to Ken Lewis, and that his potential should be rewarded in advance of performance.
He extends this entitlement mentality to a proposal for government intervention in the form of bailout legislation for his lot. His lament, while predictable, rises every year from a minority of graduates.
The reality is Wright has had four years to prove to potential employers that he had something to offer. Some of his colleagues, those who chose to tackle science and engineering in school, are being rewarded for their commitment.
In good times and bad, employers seek those who have demonstrated problem-solving and critical-thinking skills. If businesses can find those qualities in freshly minted grads, they will hire them; it's difficult to fault the employer for choosing to retain proven talent if no reasonable alternative is presented.
America can advance through preschools
Families in America today face an inadequate patchwork of pre-K programs. Only one in five children has access to state-funded, voluntary pre-K, and the quality of programs, critical to producing positive results, varies widely.
I believe our children's future should be up to choice, not chance. How else can we have a science-driven economy? Or we could grow up to be an uneducated mule and work like one, too.
Children who start behind are likely to stay behind. To treat every child to early childhood education is congruent with the general welfare clause in our Constitution's preamble.
Congress must support voluntary, quality pre-K for all of America's children.
If you are wondering how to pay for early childhood education, look no further than Cole's Hill, which has the world's seventh-largest uranium deposit. Work it.
We can learn from Bush administration
At first I was confused by the themes of the planned George W. Bush Institute listed in Friday's news item "Political notebook: Institute is 'platform to continue public service.'" Then I realized the facility on the Southern Methodist University campus could use the record of the Bush administration as a teaching tool on how not to address education, global health, freedom and economic growth.
What a wealth of good material.
Maybe college student should return later
Thad Wells makes a revealing statement in "PowerPoint isn't an effective teacher" (Nov. 16 letter) when he writes, "But how is this preparing us for life?" A college curriculum is not designed to correct the deficiencies in a student's upbringing.
If a student grew up with inattentive parents, unfettered freedoms or detached teachers in public schools, and, as a result, is not prepared for life, I would advise him to get a job or, better yet, join the military for a few years. There he may hope to make up such deficiencies and become prepared for life. After that, he can come back to college where he will be trained in the details, concepts and thought processes of highly specialized disciplines, which is (or certainly should be) the purpose of a college program.
One very effective way for a college professor to condense the essence of an academic discipline into a comprehensible form is a well-designed PowerPoint presentation. A major problem in American higher education is too many college students who are not yet ready for a college education.
JAMES L. McDONEL
Boucher asked wrong question about reform
"Aside from that, how did you enjoy the play, Mrs. Lincoln?" This fictitious questioner lacked perspective. Rep. Rick Boucher, the Democratic congressman from the 9th District, demonstrated a lack of perspective when he tried to justify his vote against the health care reform bill. He attempted to justify his vote based upon trivial parts of the bill that he did not agree with.
The real question he should have asked was whether the bill, however flawed, was better than the current status of health care in this country. If he had asked that overriding question, he would have voted "yes." Or maybe he does have perspective, but didn't want to reveal his true reason for voting "no."
Grateful for Perriello's vote for health reform
Rep. Tom Perriello of Virginia's 5th District voted correctly on the recent House health care reform bill. Recent TV ads against his vote are false and misleading.
The health care bill is far from perfect, but it does do a few things that are needed, such as expand coverage to 96 percent of Americans and end discrimination due to pre-existing conditions or gender.
The ads claim "over $572 billion in new taxes," but the Associated Press finds middle-class families will pay no new taxes. Small businesses will pay no new taxes. The only people who will pay new taxes are the ones making more than $500,000 a year.
Lobbyists have been attacking Perriello vehemently since the day he was elected. I thank him for standing up to them and doing what his constituents need and desire.
Let's make Roanoke a railroad town again
Hats off to Gertrude Lester for her letter "Keep the faith for a train stop in Roanoke" (Nov. 2), concerning the fact that Amtrak will not add a stop in Roanoke. The Norfolk and Western and Norfolk Southern railways made Roanoke what it is today. We were always known as a railroad town.
I am a railroad widow, as my husband devoted 42 years working for the Norfolk and Western. Think of the lives that would be saved on the highways. Not enough revenue? People would be standing in line to buy tickets.
Come on, Amtrak. We have the tracks and the equipment, so please make Roanoke a railroad town again.
Roanoke shouldn't be asking for more money
It never ceases to amaze me how Roanoke city government officials have no grasp of reality. I'm referring to the idea being floated to levy another fee for $60 million to fix the storm water infrastructure. Correct me if I'm wrong, but you do not reward a child who has wasted his money by giving him more money to waste.
Roanoke has not been a good steward of the taxpayers' money. Roanoke should focus on the basics: education, public safety and infrastructure. It is failing miserably in all three areas. But somehow it has the money to buy golf courses, build amphitheaters and pay for endless reports by out-of-state consultants.
And what happens to the perpetrators of these fiscal tragedies? Why, we let them retire and continue to drain the public coffers.
If history holds true, council will bring in another unqualified candidate for city manager, and the cycle will begin anew. I would say that we should run the bums out, but it seems there are plenty of bums on both sides of the aisle.
