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Image provided by: Suffolk Cooperative Library System
Editorial 'Happy holidays' It has become a popular conception in recent years that Christmas is under siege. We think this is silly. Media reports, best-selling books and brash radio personalities have been beating the mantra that Christmas is minimized for the past several years, but this stands in direct contrast to the revenue reports coming from the country's retail giants, as well as from local merchants around this time of the year. and church attendance records. Chnstmas is a money-maker, in addition to being a blessed day. It 1s a time of great joy. One of the main reasons given for the perceived siege on Christmas is the sensitive greeting \Happy holidays.\ We think there is nothing wrong with saying it, as some would have you believe. Those who frown on the friendly \Happy holdays\ must be reminded that Chnstmas. Manukkah, Kwanzaa and Boxing Day are celebrated around the same time. After all, Christmas and the first day of Hanukkah fall on the same day this year. And others have every right to celebrate their holidays, which hap- pen around the same time. Their faiths are, of course, respected, not ignored. If you are not sure whether or not someone celebrates Christmas, Hanukkah, or something else, \Happy holidays\ just about covers it and makes us one nation. Having sard all that, we believe that the attack on Christmas may only be in the minds of those who have little tolerance for other faiths. We understand that Christians make up the nauon's majonity faith. However. they do not make up the whole nation and never have. We are a nation of many faiths. and it is totally unreasonable to think that other faiths are a threat to Christmas. We should be beyond that. We should not become hostile when someone says \Happy holidays.\ achnowledging that there are many faiths in this great melting pot. Our founding fathers would not have wanted us to behave this way. On the other hand. holiday spirt should not be squelched in the name of political correctness. The Founding Fathers' prudent insistence on a separation of church and state and the government's refusal to espouse a particular religion does not equate to the obliteration of religious references from all aspects of society. ___ Consider the recent trend to substitute the 4 >» mopbport Arts Coalition _. 2~**\ ter tive Thousand ___ ___.. - -- Last Friday night, at the Northport Arts Coalition's open house in the Northport Theater, state Assemblyman Andrew Raia {R-East Northport) surprised NAC chairwom- an Isabella Eredita Johnson with a larger-than-life size check for $5,000, symbolizing a state grant to be provid- ed to the nonprofit group, as well as his support of the local community theater plans. Support theater TO THE EDITOR: The theater opening was wonderful, as many of you know. We have taken the first step. and so many people want to know how they can help ... We are planning another event at the theater on February 11, 2006. We will keep you posted. Pat Bond Northport Arts Coalition No surprise TO THE EDITOR: The fact that the residents in the Northport-East Northport School District have a negative view of the budgeting process does not surprise me (November 17. 2005). -==- Consider the following = A » facts: «According to the law 'The averaging g there should be two separate - Costs for an entire budgets, one for regular, school district average students and one for (abl ol eu _ ._ special education students. tells residents . 'This is because special edu- absolutely _ cation students cost so much & more to educate. nothing. Costs «Information given to resi- have to be dents by the district should itemized in bite be accurate, Local papers L wrote that increasing in- sized chunks. house special eelucation L530;- Don't tell me, __ grams would reduce outsi placement costs. Not so. show me how our *Per-pupil cost during the tax dollars are 2004/05 school year for 59 & & students attending special being spent using education programs in graphs and the Western Suffolk BOCES concep was $71,144. «Per-pupil cost t of the during the current school mode and year for 56 students attend- modkan.' ing the special education - JANE GOLDBLATT programs in Western Suffolk BOCES is $92,000. School districts must accept the responsibility of presenting a budget that res- idents can understand. I'd like to see the presentation of data in graph form. In each district, in each school, there should be graphs that show the number of students and the per-pupil cost to educate them in each of the following programs: «English as a Second Language, *Special Education, «The International Baccalaureate Program, «Reading Recovery Program, and «Academic Intervention Services. Students in these programs are getting more money for their education than so-called regular, average students. $92,000 is an astronomical sum to spend on a single student for ten months, espe- cially if a regular student is only getting $5,000 during the same period of time. This is not equality of opportu- nity. The averaging of costs for an entire school district tells residents absolutely nothing. Costs have to be item- ized in bite sized chunks. Don't tell me, show me how our tax dollars are being spent using graphs and the concept of tke mode and median. Jane Goldblatt East Northport The opinions of columnists and letter writers are their own. They do not speak for the newspaper. word \Chnstmas tree\ for \holiday tree\ in various events around the country. As one astute reader observed, through their anuempts to not offend anyone, the organiz- ers of such events have offended the people whom the trees mean most to: Christians. \Would anyone think to call a menorah a ~nondenominational candelabra?\ Miller Place resident Robert Stoessel wrote. \It is just as silly. Please, in the future dispense with the attempt at political correctness and call it a Christmas tree.\ e U i |
