- April 26, 2024
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Hang onto your wallets, Flagler County residents
Dear Editor:
Here they come again with still another “special” election in June, so that a few special interest voters who are paying attention can impose still more taxes upon all of us. Which part of “We’ve had enough of your taxation” and “No,” don’t the School Board understand?
And, to the Flagler County Board of County Commissioners, in the mind of this voter, holding still another out-of-cycle special election is tantamount to rigging the results — pure and simple — and both entities know it. As if that isn’t bad enough, now they’re “in favor” of holding this special election on a Friday. How convenient. You did that to us with the 10-year renewal of the tax rate last year. We aren’t falling for this trick twice. Shame on you.
If this vote were held during a regular or general election, they know that the larger number of voters would likely vote it down.
School Board member Colleen Conklin uses the usual method of giving a slick presentation and ends it with, “This community cares about its children.” Then the School Board’s attorney, Kristy Gavin, gives arguments in support of same. That seems like a conflict of interest to me?
The School Board even has its own political action committee. Well, we do care, but enough is enough. You have a .25 mill levy now, and you want to replace it with a .50 mill levy? Maybe the voters should institute their own anti-tax PAC.
Even the commissioners questioned the School Board’s budget. The Supervisor of Elections, Kimberle Weeks, is questioning the reason for holding the vote on a Friday and scurrying to get it done. Of course, the School Board likes the idea. We, the taxpayers, are in their crosshairs.
When are the parents of the children using our schools going to be asked to cough up some extra dough, instead of spreading the taxation onto a great number of people who are retired, on fixed incomes, and who don’t have — and in many cases never did have — children?
This voter urges a no vote for all county residents on June 7. If nothing else, at least go out and vote. Please.
Larry Stencel
Palm Coast
Here’s the solution to the red light cameras
Dear Editor:
Activate the count down clock on all red light cameras. These are the blank spaces on the right side of the Walk-Don't Walk signs.
This way all drivers and pedestrians will know when the light is going to change to yellow!
Walter and Carole Twyman
Palm Coast
Stop comparing ‘black’ and ‘white’ achievements
Dear Editor:
You recent article entitled, "School officials to address racial achievement gap," claims that "minority students aren't succeeding in Flagler as well as white students are." Is this a new phenomenon to your readers? I sincerely doubt it.
This has been a fact for as long as I can recall and wherever I've lived for the past 60 years. It is not just a local phenomenon but a national one. I recall "segregation and poverty" being cited as the reason for this fact. In response, school busing was initiated and billions of dollars were thrown at the problem by funding the poorer districts. Apparently, those measures didn't change a thing. Generally, whites have historically out performed minorities (except maybe Asians) in academic achievement.
The problem is not within our school system, but within the minority community itself. Most students spend less than 20% of their time engaged in school academics. This means that 80% of a students time is spent outside of the academic environment.
That, my friends, is where social skills, personalities, any motivation for achieving and the majority of a students learning take place. That 80% of a student's life is where academic achievement or academic under-achievement is born and nurtured by all students — minority or majority.
The numbers from this study remind me of another study I recently read about. These results were concerned with racial representations in the NFL and the NBA. These numbers demonstrated even more of a disparity than the Flagler academic achievement scores did. In the NBA, 80% of the players are black. A scant 17% are white. The NFL consists of 65% black players and only 30% white players. Why aren't those two professional sports organizations investigating why the white players aren't succeeding as well as the black players are? I'll tell you why, in plain and simple facts: because the black players outperform white players.
You're probably asking yourself, "What was the purpose of that last paragraph?" I'll tell you. People are not created equal. Some people are better than others in certain arenas. In general, blacks happen to be better in sports than whites. In academics, whites happen to be better than blacks.
Of course, there are exceptions to every rule. You may be more attractive than your neighbor. You may be slimmer or fatter than your sibling. We're all different. The “Desiderata” might say it best of all. It says, "If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself." So, learn from that short but powerful message and stop comparing our children by race, ethnicity and test score results. That type of irresponsible action has done enough harm to our society already.
Brian A. McCarthy
Palm Coast
