Letters to the editor for Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Flogging is an appropriate punishment for graffiti taggers

Remember a few years back when the American boy in Thailand was caught after tagging several cars and storefronts? It was ordered by that country’s court that he was to be flogged by bamboo canes while in front of the owners. This is what those boys here in Carson should get for tagging those businesses.

Forget this is the United States or the fact they have rights, just beat their butt until they can’t sit down, then make the parents pay for the damage. In cases like this, there has to be examples made, otherwise no one listens because no one cares, and it will only happen again and again.

I know I sound a bit extreme and chances are they won’t be flogged, but I look at it this way. I don’t own very much and what I do have I didn’t pay a lot for it. But be that as it may, though, I still wouldn’t want anyone damaging what I do have, and if someone did, then they should be made to pay for it. Flogging, in my opinion, just seems like a faster yet harsher way of making a point.

Hey, don’t mock or laugh at what I just said because it does work in other countries, so why not ours?

At any rate, I’m glad the culprits are off the street, and from what I have seen — because I live in the same area — their graffiti has been painted over. I certainly hope it stays that way.

Donald Paetz

Carson City

Why is Carson Valley school highly rated? Accountability

How to make sure we stay lower in ranking public education scores:

1. Pass a law so we don’t have to comply (like all other states) in the “No Child Left Behind” program.

2. Accept excuses from local and state superintendents as to why our scores are so low and give them a superior performance rating to boot.

3. Make it easier for students to pass a math proficiency test that’s required for graduation.

4. Get every Carson public education student a laptop when they have not mastered the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic. (When the inevitable happens and a third grader loses his laptop, who pays for a new one? Does the teacher have to teach from the text as well as the laptops as to make sure those students that have mishandled their laptop stay current with the class?)

Carson Valley Middle School has the only five star rating for a middle school in five of the nearest counties. Ever thought of dropping by that school and finding our their secret? I am sure it would be free of charge. But I will tell you how this middle school holds such high rankings: They hold the parents and students accountable for their actions and grades. What a concept.

Sunni Enciso

Carson City