Your Opinions

Posted: Nov. 15, 2006

MPS

Change needed to offer hope for the future

It was good to see the Nov. 13 article "Big MPS changes may be in works."

During recent years, many of our political leaders have been doing their best to destroy the public schools. Because of their lack of support, the school system has been in a downward spiral. Their goal was to drive students out of the public system into private schools.

As a result of this neglect, students have been harmed, our city's image has suffered, our economy is begging for skilled and educated workers and our neighborhoods have to live with increased crime and violence.

Is there hope for the future of Milwaukee Public Schools? Will these leaders see the harm they have done? Will they stop playing political games with our public schools? Only time will tell.

Albert G. Siemsen
Milwaukee

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Let's see improvement in schools, community

I grew up in a small town and went to a small, Catholic grade school. Now, I am in the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee urban education program, and I student teach in a Milwaukee middle school.

What I see every day in Milwaukee Public Schools is a far cry from my experience in the seventh grade. The class sizes are atrocious, students are absent an absurd amount, respect is hard to earn and I wonder how much is actually learned on a daily basis. Do not get me wrong. There are good aspects of MPS education and I see that there are teachers who are trying to make a difference, but there are changes that need to be made.

I was ecstatic to read "Big MPS changes may be in the works." Now, I would just like to know exactly what changes will be made. I would like to know when these changes will be made. And I would also like to know why there are not more companies or organizations like Greater Milwaukee Committee that are willing to contribute to the education of those who will be applying for jobs in the community in a matter of years.

Stephanie Scholze
Waukesha

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WATER

It's time to address issue of overbuilding

The Nov. 11 editorial about New Berlin's water woes stated that "It's time for officials from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to sit down with their colleagues from Michigan and calmly explain the facts" ("Let's talk to Michigan").

I think it is time for the DNR to sit down with New Berlin and other municipalities to explain that they cannot keep overbuilding their resources. Water quality and scarcity of quality water in Waukesha County has been an issue for many years, yet we still see rampant construction at every turn.

Why should Michigan, or any other Great Lakes state or territory, allow its resources to go to people who have no regard for the land other than a dollar sign? These same people buy the land at area lakes, crowd another house on the shoreline and make it more and more difficult for others to relax on the lakes.

I laud the state of Michigan and hope it continues to help protect one of Wisconsin's resources, something our regulators seem unwilling, or unable, to do.

Robert Piechocki
Milwaukee

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Great Lakes compact would protect resource

The editorial "Let's talk to Michigan" made excellent points. It stated, "All the people of the Great Lakes region must work together to preserve and wisely use this vital resource." Too true.

Our Great Lakes hold 95% of our fresh water but are vulnerable and deserving of protection. While Cleveland is on a different Great Lake, we're all in the same interconnected ecosystem and have to work cooperatively to protect and restore the Great Lakes. We should work together to prevent others - like Michigan - from playing political games with our vital drinking water. The best way to do this is to implement the Great Lakes compact in Wisconsin.

The compact has three primary advantages: a standards-based process for water diversions, incorporating the public into the process and collaborative scientific monitoring of the lakes' health. With the compact, other states won't have arbitrary veto power over our water requests. Instead, water requests will undergo a standards-based decision process in which we will evaluate other states' water diversions and they will evaluate ours.

This cooperative system will work infinitely better than the current system because states will have to look at and consider the facts, not political games, before weighing in.

Melissa Malott
Madison

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MIDDLE EAST

Israel, Palestine must seek peace

In a Nov. 10 letter from Ammar Askari, the message about the killings in Palestine was understated ("Israel unjustified in killing Palestinians"). The continuing killing of innocent people in the Middle East is out of control. These killings can only incite additional killings.

I don't know what religion Askari is, but I am Jewish and cannot back the recent action of Israel. The recent addition to Israel's cabinet is further reason for concern. Israel and Palestine must seek peace and live in peace. Killing is not the answer.

Jim Bamberger
Whitefish Bay