LETTERS

Published on September 29, 2006

High school day should start, end an hour later

To the Bulletin:

At Amherst-Pelham Regional High School, our school day starts at 7:45 in the morning and ends at 2:20 in the afternoon. This schedule requires that we awake between 5:45 and 7 in the morning, depending on individual morning habits and routines.

As teenagers, this is extremely early in the morning and with most people's schedules, getting the recommended minimum eight hours of sleep is basically impossible. Pushing school back even one hour in the morning and having it end an hour later would help many students get more sleep, feel healthier, and perform better in their studies.

My typical day after school consists of swim practice from 3 to 5 p.m., showering and dinner, homework and preparation for school for about two hours, talking to friends and doing tasks for college until 11, when I finally go to sleep. All of these activities are necessary, and even if I manage my time extremely well, I do not have excessive amounts of time left over. I can't remember the last time I watched over half an hour of television on a school night, even during my easy trimesters.

While some might argue that starting school at 8:45 would make students go to bed even later, I know from experience that I go to bed at the same time on school nights regardless of when I need to be in school the next morning. Most teenagers are also used to staying up late, and if school were to follow their sleep pattern better, they would be much more efficient students. High school students are extremely busy and have so much going on that they cherish every moment to relax or socialize and the majority will be up late no matter what.

If all students, parents, and teachers who want to move school back are vocal about it, the School Committee and superintendent will take notice and, possibly, action, if they really want us to learn up to our full potential.

Rose Daniels
Amherst

Property taxes unfair way to pay for services

To the Bulletin:

Gerald Friedman, who thinks property taxes are too low (Bulletin letter, Sept. 22), is out of touch with average working-class people.

My wife and I worked hard and sacrificed for over 20 years for our five kids to pay off our first house. Since we won't have a huge government pension like his but will have to survive on a tiny Social Security check, we need to provide for our own retirement as well as build a future for our kids. Mr. Friedman thinks that because we were smart and frugal with our modest incomes that he and his friends on the government payroll deserve a share of our equity! How about eliminating wasteful government spending first before going to taxpayers asking for more?

Property taxes are the most unfair way to provide funding for local public services because they are not based on ability to pay. Independent gubernatorial candidate Christy Mihos has a plan that would cap property values from the time of purchase until the property is sold. This would help homeowners and the elderly who survive on fixed incomes and give relief to everyone, who will not experience unpredictable increases in property taxes due to reassessment. To make up for the lost revenue, the plan would dedicate 40 percent of annual state tax revenues for local aid, which means another $1.7 billion would be provided to cities and towns. This is far more equitable than the present system and is similar to Proposition 13 in California, which was passed by the voters there decades ago.

Another source of revenues is the rich nonprofit institutions that benefit from local services but pay no taxes. In Petersham, for example, Harvard Forest owns 10 percent of the land here (3,000 acres) but pays no property taxes. I think that Harvard University with their $26 billion endowment can afford to pay their fair share.

Mike Leonard
Petersham

More on tickets at Puffer's Pond

To the Bulletin:

Harold Kulungian received a ticket for parking on State Street with his 'Right wheels over 12 inches from the curb (Wrong Side)' (Bulletin letter, Sept. 22). In analyzing whether the citation was appropriate, he's missed the forest for the trees.

If he parked facing traffic, his left wheels may have been close to one edge of the road. But that's irrelevant - his right wheels were clear across the street from the edge that matters, on the other side!

Keith Ulrich
Amherst

Hike in parking fines to $10 is a bad idea

To the Bulletin:

On Oct. 1, the parking fines in Amherst are increasing for the second time in 14 months. An overdue meter fine will go from $8 to $10. This increase is not for better parking management, but is a further abuse of the parking fines as taxation.

Town Manager Laurence Shaffer said, 'Parking fines are needed so University students don't leave their cars parked in town all day.' If this were true, why are fines still issued in the summer when parking is plentiful?

At a July 17 parking hearing, citizens agreed that increased parking fines would hurt business. Lack of parking safe from fines is turning Amherst into a pedestrian mall for the University. Businesses serving Amherst residents, hardware stores, a food market, and pharmacies, are replaced by beauty parlors, meal plan restaurants, and tattoo parlors.

This parking fine increase was justified to fund an outlying bus route, but this is manipulation. Why is parking money applied to this bus fund? Why not parking fines for Christmas decorations? We could give up lights this year for this under-used bus route. The town manager and his task force see parking abuse as a growth income source. But this short-term thinking drives away customers with over 30,000 parking tickets each year. Stronger businesses would provide more money to Amherst than fining their patrons.

For three years Amherst has protected this parking income by not reconvening the Parking Commission, and is in violation of its own regulations by not providing this level of appeal.

Currently, the only parking ticket appeal is to Claire McGinnis in her one-third-time capacity as hearings officer. If you appeal you will get her attitude of 'parking staff first, Amherst customer second,' and you will lose. The next level of appeal is to sue Amherst in Superior Court. The filing fees are $280, and if you win only the $8 fine may be recoverable.

Amherst banks on your apathy at the rate of $330,000 each year in parking fines. And Shaffer has written that he does not want the parking meters marked with the fines due. On Oct. 1, Amherst meter fines go up to $10. This is the date the greedy little town of Amherst gets greedier.

Philip Garrow
Amherst

If we talk to Hizbollah, why not Klan or Nazis?

To the Bulletin,

I wonder if the proponents of the United States recognition of Hizbollah and Hamas would apply their moral principles and logic to the solution of other outstanding problems that have spawned violence, not only in the Middle East but also here at home.

They could start by advocating a peace conference in which the federal government, the Southern states and representatives of the Ku Klux Klan, 'Aryan Nation' and other neo-Nazi groups will participate. Although, admittedly, members of these organizations have been involved in heinous hate crimes, the racial harmony that will ensue would certainly be worth the effort.

After this first conference's success, numerous others will follow in all major US cities, where officials will meet as equals with representative of the crime families and the various gangs. To ensure the effectiveness of the events, observers from the Colombian and other drug cartels should also be invited. These publicized negotiations will certainly eliminate or at least curb the crime that has plagued the big cities for many years.

A similar meeting should be held between the US government, politicians from several states, various Mexican crime organizations and representatives of independent smugglers. No doubt the conference, having wide media coverage, will solve the illegal immigration problem once and for all.

How come we have missed these obvious solutions for so long?

Micha Peleg
Amherst

Firefighters and police handled explosion well

To the Bulletin:

My husband and I want to express our heartfelt gratitude to every firefighter and police officer for their immediate response to the gas explosion at Emerson Court on Aug. 16.

We observed your professional expertise in evacuating the injured and managing the frightening situation. Due to your valiant and exhaustive efforts, you contained the scope of the tragedy, protecting the adjoining building and units 11-12. Despite the water damage, we were able to have most of our belongings removed intact.

Also, during the investigation period, you dealt with each homeowner with kindness and sensitivity. You deserve the highest official commendation, but all we can offer to each of you is our appreciation and gratitude.

Sally Malsch
Amherst

Lutheran Church helps Survival Center

To the Bulletin:

I speak for the staff, volunteers, and board of directors of the Amherst Survival Center who wish to publicly acknowledge and thank Pastor Rudy Beyer, Matthew Cron, and the entire Immanuel Lutheran Church congregation for opening their parish hall space to us so that we might continue offering children's clothing and back-to-school supplies.

During this time of transition, the Survival Center has needed to temporarily scale back the services offered to the community. However, we felt it imperative that we not overlook the clothing and school needs of children and their parents at this time of the year. Immanuel Church welcomed us with gracious generosity and open arms.

Greg Kline
Leverett