Letters to the Editor
NYCGrrrl
Published Letters: 62 Editor's Choice: 3
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Pregnant teens
[Read the article: Barefoot and pregnant in public school]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I teach in an inner city public high school. Over the past three years, I've noticed a dramatic increase in teen pregnancy -- particularly among the 14-year-olds. Older men are the fathers of these babies -- well over the age of 18, and sometimes in their mid 20s. It's not "PC" to say this, but I am DISGUSTED that these men aren't being prosecuted for rape. Instead, the young girls' mothers are thrilled that they'll be young grandmothers (because most of them had their children in high school, too). Can you imagine being a grandmother at the age of 29?
These girls live in a subculture where you're expected to have a baby, colect benefits, and live off the government indefinitely. I am not a Republican, but I am against generational welfare. We should support those who work, lose their jobs, and truly need a helping hand to get back on their feet. The people working the system need to be cut off. Sounds cold, but spend a week at my school and you'll agree with me.
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You think Republicans are smug?
[Read the article: How can I love my Republican parents?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]How sad that the LW can't see he's guilty of being smug himself. Why must we stereotype people, i.e. he's a flaming liberal or she's an uptight Republican? You can love someone and not agree with their politics. You can agree to disagree. If anything, I think it's dangerous to never want to hear views from the "other side."
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Oh please
[Read the article: My brother left his girlfriend with a 5-month-old baby]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I am so sick of people who say, "I love you, but I'm not in love with you." The moment you bring a child into this world, you owe that child a solid family life. New studies have shown that children fare better in two parent households -- particularly boys, who need a male role model. As an inner city high school teacher, I can't even begin to tell you about all the boys from broken homes who hate their fathers for not sticking around and helping out. The LW's brother is an asshole for putting his own selfish needs first, and not his son's. There's nothing wrong with the mother of his child. They stayed together for 15 years. Funny how the LW's brother dumped her after she had a baby. Sometimes doing the right thing means putting the needs of a child before our own. This isn't the 70s, where people can delude themselves into thinking that struggling single mothers can make it...that it's better for the child if the parents aren't together. I say living in a household where mama isn't "taking a nosedive" (to use the LW's words) is better...far, far better.
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Big Pharma is to blame
[Read the article: Girls' suicide rates soar]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]It's one thing to take medication if you are seriously depressed or another hardcore issue. But Big Pharma is pushing drugs as a quick fix solution these days. An adult female friend of mine committed suicide this summer. She was on anti-depressants at the time, because she had been feeling blue. Not clinically depressed, but down. I knew her for over two decades. I honestly blame the drugs for her suicide. They changed her personality.
I strongly, strongly suggest that people think long and hard about putting children or teens on drugs. They're meant for serious cases. Right now, they're being overly prescribed.
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The lease
[Read the article: I let my friends stay with me and now they're evicting me!]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Whose name is on the lease? If it's only the LW, then pull in the landlord and have him evict the couple. I'd also consult a lawyer on this.
The LW sounds awfully young to me. Very immature. Stand up for yourself, LW! Don't take their sh*t.
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The LW is young
[Read the article: We broke up after four years -- but he moved on so fast!]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I'm glad the LW included her age. It explains so much. She clearly hasn't learned yet that you cannot remain friends with an ex -- not right away after a breakup, and DEFINITELY not after you lived with the person. The ex moved on "so quickly" because the LW's relationship had been dead for months. She admitted this in her letter. Yes, it hurts. But the LW needs to move on herself, in more ways than one. Move away from the ex. She needs to find a place to flourish on her own. At 22, she can easily start over again. It's not as if she had a baby with her ex. There are no ties to the ex. Let him go. And give the fantasy that they can be "friends" and maybe get back together. The relationship is over. He's with someone else now. Don't waste time analyzing the new relationship for the ex. He doesn't want you. Let him GO.