Letters to the editor for Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2013

All-day kindergarten prepares our children

Young children benefit from all-day kindergarten programs as well as the parents (who often are in need of all day care). The majority of children entering first grade with one or two years of structured learning and discipline backing them do greater and have less issues keeping up in the first grade.

All-day kindergarten gives children the possibility to be better prepared for the first grade. It is designed to help them get independent as well as a structure to learn rules and guidance and a strong underlying basis for them to succeed throughout school and life.

There are always some negatives to having kindergarten be all day. There are some children who may be entering too young and feel overwhelmed by having to adapt from a half-day of school to a full day (especially with the children coming home or going to their after-school activities exhausted and frustrated). There are some parents who think children are growing up to quickly. They should be enjoying childhood while they can.

It came clear to me that children should be getting all the necessary education that they can get during their early years of school. The children are going to have to be ready for the real world, and the more learning they get the better off they will be. It makes having our children be more prepared and ready for the years ahead that they have in school, since our future depends on the younger generation.

Jarelle Ramos

Carson City

On the world’s stage, Syria is a tragic play

Watching the Syrian debacle unfold is like watching a play with amateur actors trying to act credulous in a confused, ill conceived script orchestrated by an incompetent director.

I have labored through two acts of this melodrama hoping to learn the objective of the plot. No matter the outcome, this political production will not receive a standing ovation.

Inga Silver

Carson City

Angry about shelter? Don’t just write letters

I have read letter after letter about how the animal shelter was run. It just seems strange to me that all of these people popped out of the woodwork when one incident occurs.

Why haven’t all of these people talked to the city manager or their board of supervisor member to get things changed? Most of the dogs in the animal shelter are there because the dog’s master broke the city leash law and let the dog run free.

Rules exist to direct the shelter manager when to put an animal down. If the shelter made an exception for that person for three extra days, do they make an exception when someone wants four days or four weeks? Sometime rules are difficult, but they are written to allow guidance for the supervisor. If these folks don’t like the rules, they should push the board to change the rule, not get mad when the department supervisor will not break the rule for them.

The supervisor has been fired because the Board of Supervisors and the city manager could not stand the heat. She is going to sue the city. I can’t help but wonder if her performance appraisals reflect a bad performance. If not, she will win the lawsuit.

Gene Carhart

Carson City