Looking beyond the police records
I read of Greenup County’s issues with their hiring process of a substitute teacher. I read that he is 20 years old. That is pretty young to be a college graduate.
I personally know a young man in a gifted program who is programmed to graduate when he is 18. My father graduated from Morehead when he was 18. I was 22, as were all of my children, when we graduated from college.
From my experience then, I would conclude that this young man had not graduated from college yet. If my premise is true, why was he hired?
I applied to be a substitute teacher for Greenup County and was accepted. I went through the process, received my photo ID card, but was never called to teach.
Why not? I know they had subs older than me and subs that had no college degree. I was a bonifide UK graduate, and through the USAF ROTC program completed their pilot training program and became an instructor pilot. After three years I attended the AF Academic Instructor School. As an academic Instructor I taught aerodynamics and aircraft engineering to college graduates.
I had been previously accepted, and taught as a substitute teacher at Merrick, N.Y., public schools (in 1970), and the Portsmouth, Ohio, schools in the same year as Greenup, 2007).
I do not know what this young man's accomplishments were to warrant his hiring, but I doubt that he had flown supersonic aircraft or captained jumbo jets across the Atlantic (geography, meteorology, mathematics, social, government relations, etc).
My point is that is they should not just look at the police records, they should look at their internal staff procedures as well. If they had been calling me, there would have been no need to hire someone else, obviously less qualified.
William B Secrest, LtCol USAF retired, South Shore
A rate for those on fixed incomes
A notice to Kentucky Power customers was received Jan. 18, to be effective on and after Jan. 29. The notice stated that the average rate increase for residential customers will be 33.43 percent, the highest of all tariff classes.
With the reduction in the use of electricity by industrial customers, the greater cost is directed to individual households. Most individual households have had downturns during this recession (depression).
Most retired people are on fixed incomes or pensions For two years, Social Security recipients will get no increase to help offset the proposed rate increases for electricity.
I have a close relative whose homeowners’ insurance increased by $50 per month and whose cable and sewage treatment bills also increased.
The requests are like buying major appliances, autos, homes, boats and motorcycles. Kentucky Power will ask for the most money possible and the buyer — the Public Service Commission — for residential customers — will make a counter offer until a final decision is made. It will result in a lesser cost for the buyer but still a livable profit for the salesman and commodity dealer (the power company).
Let’s ask the PSC to not increase these rates for residential customers on fixed incomes for at least two years. People on fixed incomes — about 30 to 35 percent — need your help.
Allow Kentucky Power to reduce its costs internally until our recession (depression) has passed.
This is a concern for many people.
Burnie Gehringer, Flatwoods
Amnesia running rampant in GOP
Joe Barker (”In Your View,” Jan. 26) is hoping for change in 2012. However almost every problem or complaint he listed were the results of eight years of Bush Administration policies.
Amnesia seems to be running rampant when the GOP is reminded of the results of Bush Administration policies. Perhaps in another letter, all of President Bush's successes could be brought to light. Oh, and please no terror attacks on American soil during President Bush’s watch. There’s that amnesia again. After all, 9/11 was on President Bush's watch.
So while some hope for change in 2012, let's hope by 2012 Americans are back to work and at a decent wage. Let's hope all parties in Congress work to make that happen. I really don’t think Americans should have to continue to wait for that.
Charles Joyce, Honolulu
