Letters for May 9, 2002

I would also like to thank my parents upon the approaching parent appreciation days. I would like to thank them for raising me to be open-minded and nonjudgmental toward people of all social and economic classes.

What I found the most disturbing about Ms. Benjamin’s views is that she is allowed to teach children. Is she is aware that she brings her class bias and narrow world view with her in the classroom, and children can pick up on the subtleties of prejudice? The self-righteous and sanctimonious tone of her commentary is more appalling than the actual message. It is a shame that psychological testing on teachers cannot weed out this type of person. Does Ms. Benjamin teach her students to seek out other views? From the sound of her commentary, it seems that her opinion, and only hers, is the final word.

Incidentally, I have made the choice to stay home with my children, and I would never judge or belittle those who choose or have to work. Ms. Benjamin does not divulge whether she has children, but one has to wonder how willing she will be to give up a career that she worked and trained many years for. I hope that Ms. Benjamin opens her eyes and learns to be more accepting before she causes long-lasting damage to the impressionable minds of her students.

Josella Starbuck
Reno

Daycare is not a kid-dump
Re “Parents, Raise Your Kids!” [RN&R Guest Comment, April 25]:

I wanted to respond to the letter from Krista Benjamin about kids in daycare. First, I would like to point out that she is obviously entitled to her opinion, but so am I. So here is mine. I realize that there are parents out there who do dump their kids off at daycare just so they can go shopping or go on a vacation, but others like myself put their kids in daycare because they choose that option in order to provide for their children. Did she ever stop to think that not all kids hate going to daycare? My children are six and two, and they enjoy playing with their friends and interacting with others. Yes, I know she said she interacted with her cousins. Well, maybe some kids don’t have any cousins.

I think she is way out of line in making the assumption that kids in daycare aren’t wanted and in referring to them as being like pets. My kids are very loved and most of all they were very wanted! I wonder if she has any kids or if she is speaking about something she has no clue about. My guess is that, since she is a teacher, she has a few kids in class that act up or maybe aren’t perfect, so she attributes their behavior to them having been in daycare. As for the babysitter acting as if she and her sister were a burden, maybe they were just bratty kids. One last thing, Krista: Don’t feel sorry for my kids because they go to daycare. After all, they just might end up signing your paycheck someday!

Kim Blanchard
Reno

More bicycling thanks
Re “Get Out of the Road, Sweetie!” [RN&R, April 18]:

Just a note to say thanks for writing about the experiences of Reno bicyclists. I gave up my car nearly five years ago and have since combined my bike with the bus. It definitely gives you a perspective on urban living in general that motorists don’t have.

I appreciate your mention of how Reno’s often less-than-civil motorists treat cyclists. I’ve been catcalled and nearly run over (on purpose) several times, but I’d rather continue biking. It makes more sense in a city steadily being overrun by cars.

Lance Bernard
via e-mail

Test site plates in poor taste
As a native-born and lifelong Nevadan, I cannot find the words to express my utter disgust with the new Nevada Test Site Historical Foundation license plates. Could anything possibly be in worse taste than its depiction of a mushroom cloud, a symbol of massive death and destruction?

Now, as Nevada fights desperately to keep from becoming the nation’s nuclear toilet, we unveil this. How utterly stupid is that? How utterly foolish does this make Nevada look? The sponsor of the bill approving this design, Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus, possesses very poor judgment, and the plate’s designer, Rick Bibbero, should be ashamed! Pathetic behavior like this tends to preserve Nevada’s joke status in this nation.

Dean W. Austin
Sparks