Disappointed with Kerry endorsement

It was with a sense of dismay and great disappointment that I read your October issue of American Teacher. I realize that I am just one voice, but I must protest your endorsement of John Kerry. You certainly do not speak for this teacher. I am a registered Democrat, but I am so sickened by the party I am considering changing my affiliation.

How in the world do you think John Kerry is going to pay for all these “pie in the sky” programs he is promising? By raising our taxes, of course!

—Julia Bell
Monroe, La.

With the past few issues I have been quite angry. It appears from your articles that all union members are for John Kerry for president. I have been voting in elections for 36 years, and I resent the splash in your magazine that all union members should support John Kerry.

Do you assume that educators are so ignorant they cannot make a wise choice for whom to vote?

If you are going to give this coverage to one, what about equal coverage for the other? Where is the equality here?

—Sandra L. Britton
Lawrenceburg, Ind.

Support for Sen. Kerry

As a classroom teacher, I’m delighted that my union supports and is working for the election of John Kerry because Kerry supports the issues my colleagues and I care most about. I had high hopes that the No Child Left Behind initiative would finally make education and our children a top priority in this country, but it hasn’t happened. The failure to fully fund NCLB has left us with mandates but no money to meet them. Our schools continue to be overcrowded and underfunded.

Meeting with the parents and grandparents of the kids in my class, I hear their concerns about bread-and-butter issues like healthcare and the economy. I feel the Kerry team has a better plan for a better future for all of us.

—Armando Blasse
Brooklyn, N.Y.

I am 60 years old. And, for the last 18 years, I have worked as an educational assistant in Albuquerque’s El Dorado High School and Grant Middle School. The last four years have made it clear to me, however, that our current president is not on the side of hard-working Americans like myself.

Since George W. Bush came into office, I have seen my paycheck shrink rapidly and the cost of healthcare rise dramatically. If that wasn’t enough, George Bush is intent on spending our Social Security funds in wild goose chases that have put our sons and daughters at risk and do nothing to enhance the security of our country.

What America needs now is new and positive leadership. We need a thoughtful, determined president who is on our side.

That’s exactly what John Kerry will be.

—Eloisa Corona
Albuquerque, N.M.