Voice of the people

Year-round school is bad for families

My name is Sabrina Chastain. I'm 11 years old, and I go to Barboursville Middle School, and I disagree with Gov. Joe Manchin. Why should kids have to go to school all year round? I have always been an honor roll student, and I'm doing fine the way it is.

I think kids should get a break! Parents will not get to spend much time with their kid(s). Some kids don't get to spend much time with their parents the way it is. What if some parents can't afford gas to take their kid(s) to school and they have to go to court because they missed so many days? Also, I think parents should have something to do with it and not just the governor.

Sabrina Chastain

Huntington

Writer wrong about Obama's patriotism

A recent letter to the Voice of the People was full of scurrilous statements about Barack Obama. For example, the writer asserts that Obama refuses to say the Lord's Prayer. Since Obama has been a Christian most of his adult life, my guess is that he has uttered that prayer a thousand times. He also asserts that Obama refuses to wear a flag pin. A close observer will see him wearing it as much as John McCain, who does not wear a flag pin all the time.

Furthermore, he asserts that Obama refuses to pledge allegiance to our flag. When he was sworn in to Congress, he said the Pledge of Allegiance and has repeatedly said how much he loves this country. No intelligent person can assert that Obama is not as patriotic as John McCain. The source of these untruthful statements comes from right-wing radio, which circulates lies hoping that voters will believe them. The letter writer obviously does, but that is no reason for the rest of us to do so.

While I honor McCain's service to his country and empathize with the torture he suffered in Vietnam, that in itself does not qualify him to be president. When electing a president, we should look for judgment. John McCain was a cheerleader for Bush's Iraq war. Obama opposed it. Given the trillion or more dollars we have spent on the war (money that should have been spent here at home), the priceless loss of human lives, the physical and mental casualties, it was not good judgment. The war has not made America safer but rather has enhanced the power of Iran.

Carolyn Karr

Huntington

Article was really an opinion piece

In regard to the Associated Press article "Is poor speaking a plus for McCain?" (July 24) located on the Nation and World page, I'm appalled at The Herald-Dispatch's use of discretion, or the lack thereof. The article was purely an opinion piece that should have been on an editorial page and nowhere else. There may have been facts included in the composition, but they were clearly written with a bias.

As a journalism student, I am aware that the H-D has no authority over the content within an article written by an AP staff writer. In the same respect, however, I also know that the page editors are responsible for choosing articles to fill space. I simply believe the editors of this particular page used poor judgment when including an editorial piece on a news page. Herald-Dispatch, you are one of the Tri-State's news sources. Please, give us objective, accurate information.

Jennifer Chapman

Huntington