Union letters to the editor

Bullying and slavery

Teachers all over this country teach at a very young age that bullying is wrong. Some people think that teachers should not be able to say that slavery is wrong. Slavery is the ultimate bullying.

Slavery is part of American history, just like the Declaration of Independence and the Emancipation Proclamation.

As a young student, I was told that bullying was wrong. I never felt guilty, because I knew I wasn’t a bully. When young students are told that slavery was wrong, they do not feel guilty because not only do they know they were not a slave owner, they can’t understand the concept. But, they need to know slavery is wrong, just like bullying.

Doris Slocombe

Fairfield

America’s God-Accord Government

I write to highlight a parallel between the Government of Creation and the government of the United States of America.

Science notes three primary operators that ever create-maintain-destroy the manifest world. An apple blossom, for example, is created, maintained a bit, then destroyed, its task complete in producing the apple fruit. And these three, together in a combined wholeness, produce a fourth ... manifest life.

We too, in daily life, operate in our own ongoing creation-maintenance-destruction functions. Doing this effectively, in Nature-Accord, our life goes well.

These same four “Nature’s God” functions are expressed in our founding document, the Declaration of Independence, and in our nation’s operating manual, the U.S. Constitution.

For example, “create” took place when we declared independence and began Constitution Law and Governance. “Maintain” is the operation of the scales of justice that keep Constitution Law in vital balance. And “destroy” is accomplished by our Constitutional executive forces of police and military, which check and destroy elements harmful to our well-being. Then four, “Life,” results for “we the people.”

“In God we trust,” is our nation’s motto. And we’re blessed or burnt each day by how we live this. To me, understanding the wisdom and application of our nation’s God-Accord design keeps me, and all of us, in good stead.

Thank you Southeast Iowa Union. And thank you America’s people. God bless America!

Kevin Keating

Fairfield

Bring back Iowa’s death penalty

In reference to bringing back Iowa’s death penalty, first of all, we all have to agree on it by voting it into law. Also, Iowa must decide what method to use: hanging, gas chamber, electric chair, or lethal injection.

Next, put into law the crimes the death penalty will be used for. All felony, heinous crimes like rape, armed robbery, murder, school shootings, mass shootings. Also, if the person commits any of these crimes, they will have a swift, fair and impartial trial. If found guilty, one appeal only.

I apologize to anyone I have offended with this article. I believe in it, and it works in other states. Something has to be done. We have lost so many loved ones. Our school kids are our future. By sticking together and being kind to one another, we will overcome.

God bless this community.

Rod Smith

Fairfield

Teachers’ concerns fall on deaf ears

I am a graduate of Fairfield Community School District (FCSD) as are three of my sons. As an adult I have been contributing tax monies to the running of this school district. I am ashamed to admit that I haven’t concerned myself as to how those monies have been used. This last fall my husband and I felt called to start attending FCSD Board meetings; at two of those meetings we were the only ones to set in the chairs provided for observers.

We have learned many things about how monies are used and how the money comes from differing governmental agencies, local, state and federal. Different monies go to various accounts that can only be spent for those purposes. There is an account for teacher and administrative salaries, one for the physical upkeep of buildings; another for meals, and various other accounts, there is also a separate account for replacement of buildings.

I appreciate the dedicated people who run for office and are put into places of responsibility over our School District and thank them for their care and concern for our students. At the school board meeting on April 24, my eyes were opened as to what has been happening between our Superintendent and our teachers who have been treated unfairly in an effort to distribute those tax dollars. I am referring to the concerns of the teachers who have been asked to take on extra work because of not replacing retiring teachers and those who have chosen to resign. The teachers have asked repeatedly to have a meeting with the Superintendent to voice those concerns and have not gotten a meeting.

I find it very concerning that our Superintendent chose this very day of the school meeting to legally take a ‘family medical leave of absence’ for the next 12 weeks; therefore she was not present at the School Board meeting to hear the teacher concerns once again. My understanding is that it is the responsibility of the School Board to review the actions of our Superintendent and to act on their findings.

The school board president announced at the beginning of the meeting of a change in the stated talking time of the public was changed to 3 minutes from5 minutes stated in the Board agenda. This put those speaking at a disadvantage as to what they had to cut out of their prepared statements of concerns.

Something smells bad here in the treatment of teachers as well as to how the Superintendent has run roughshod over how she determines what is important. In her statement to the Union in April after signs appeared around town stating “It’s time to go. We deserve better.”

She stated in that piece that it is only a small minority that felt that way. Her solution was if we only build a new Junior High campus all problems will be solved. Buildings do not build relationships, teachers, students, administrators and school board do.

I appeal to the School Board to fix this problem before it goes any farther. You were put there by the people in our county, and we put our trust in you.

Dianne Brokken Beghtol

Fairfield