Saturday, December 2, 1995
GAME FOR GIRLS SENDS TRAGIC MESSAGE
I just saw a commercial for a toy that should win an award for the worst game ever produced for girls. It is called Sealed With A Kiss. In this game, each of the little girls, aged 7-11, gets a picture of a boyfriend (a hunk of an adolescent much older than they are). The object of the game is to kiss your boyfriend more times than anyone else before someone steals him away. If you end up with a boyfriend who has five kisses first, you're the winner.
I was appalled when I saw this. What is it teaching these young girls? Boys are trophies, and the way to keep your boyfriend is to "put out" for him? That is not a life lesson that I want my daughter to learn.
How about a game where the winner is the girl who shows the most self-respect, the girl who knows when to walk away from a boy who demands that she give it up for him?
Children learn through play. Girls should learn that boys have minds of their own and can make their own decisions on whom they see. They are not mindless pieces of property to be stolen or won. We need to provide our children with positive messages, strong support and clear guidance.
I would like to meet the morons who thought up this game. They have succeeded in trivializing an important stage in young people's lives.
Sealed With A Kiss is painting the picture that boys are objects and girls are schemers using their sex appeal to get what they want. I would like to see this trash off the toy shelves for the sake of my daughter and my son.
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Saturday, August 24, 1996
TAXES SHOULD SUPPORT OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Kudos to Judge Paul Higginbotham for upholding the State Constitution. His ruling to allow school choice to exclude religious schools was a fair decision and a reasonable compromise in the school choice battle.
As a taxpayer, I have no problem with a few of my tax dollars being used to help low income children find an education that will improve their lives. But, as a taxpayer, I have a big problem with the state using money to fund religious schools. the separation of church and state was written into the Constitution for a good reason, and should be treasured and protected -- not tossed aside for Tommy Thompson's political career or the hidden agenda of the religious right. I find it hard to believe that the religious schools would be anxious to received money from the state with so many strings attached. They would lose their freedom to do as they please with their educational programs. The government and the taxpayers would have the right to step in and set up rules and regulations that would mandate changes in the way religious schools are run.
As a public school parent, I am happy with the education my children are receiving, but there is room for improvement. the public schools are already hurting for money to improve their service to Milwaukee's children. Funneling money away from public schools is a mistake.
In a perfect world, public money would only fund public schools, our children would be the top concern of all parents, and public schools would achieve a level of excellence that is only possible with adequate funding and total involvement of loving parents. In the real world, there are bad parents out there and children are suffering as a result. These parents aren't involved in their children's schooling and are not there for them at home, teaching them morals, manners and the value of a good education. I know for a fact that these lessons are being taught in the public schools, along with the regular curriculum, but the message has to be backed up at home.
Let's focus on a solution for the betterment of MPS, for all children of every income level. A good start is to educate the parents and get them involved. This project is already underway by the Parent Leadership Academy. It is organizations such as this that will make a big difference in the public schools. This is where our tax dollars should be going.
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Thursday, August 21, 1997
A LITTLE PAIN NOW COULD SAVE SUFFERING
Dottie Feder asks why it is mandatory for our children to be immunized against
hepatitis B (The Morning Mail, Aug. 18).
She feels it is unnecessary to put children through the pain of a shot for a disease spread by sharing needles and homosexual sex. Thankfully, the editor was able to provide her with some facts, such as hepatitis B is the cause of 4,000 to 5,000 deaths in the United States each year, and it is also spread through heterosexual contact. I'd like to add to that.
My father died of cirrhosis of the liver caused by hepatitis B in 1991. The year preceding his death was a painful, agonizing time for all of us.
I wanted my children to be able to spend as much time as possible with him before he was gone. Although they had little to no chance of contracting hepatitis B from their grandpa, his doctor and the pediatrician felt it was better to be safe than sorry.
Through special requests from both doctors, I was able to obtain the vaccine for my kids. Because it was costly and not mandatory, the procedure for approval was difficult.
Now my children have happy memories of special times with their grandpa, and I know that they're safe from his illness.
Those opposed to this mandatory vaccine should realize that you never know what situation may arise that exposes your child to certain diseases at any point in their lives.
A chance to easily protect them from a fatal disease should be heartily welcomed by all loving parents. The pain of a needle prick doesn't even begin to compare to the pain suffered with hepatitis B, or the pain of losing a loved one.
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Tuesday, April 14, 1998
FUNDING EQUITY WOULD HURT OUTSTANDING PROGRAMS
The Milwaukee School Board appears poised and ready to shoot itself in the foot. Its
latest proposal to reallocate school funds among the high schools to achieve equity in
spending per student is ridiculous.
This idea completely ignores the special funding needs of specialty schools.
Milwaukee High School of the Arts is one of several high-achieving schools within the Milwaukee Public Schools. The school stands to lose $151,000 under this proposal. The loss of this money could severely cripple the school's ability to continue to offer its arts program.
Intelligent and creative students from inside and outside the city are drawn to this school, willing to be put on long waiting lists just for a chance to benefit from the wonderful educational opportunities that this school has to offer.
Take that away, and this school will lose its appeal and, subsequently, lose the interest of quality students and parents.
Cynthia Thompson
Milwaukee
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