Letters to the Editor
A lawyer
Published Letters: 6 Editor's Choice: 2
-
I Blame the Parents
[Read the article: Boston-area high schooler jumps on the "boy crisis" bandwagon]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Where in the world did this ridiculous idea come from that boys can't learn in an environment that has rules? I went to a very strict Catholic school and my brother went to military school. We both did well and developed habits that have made us successful. Boys and girls do well when their bad behavior is not excused and they are expected to sit down, pay attention, keep quiet and learn something. School prepares children for life and that fact of the matter is that in most professions following rules and concentrating are the keys to success. If the alleged drop off of boys' attendance in college programs is real, don't blame the alleged feminization of education. Blame the parents who are not holding their boys to high standards and who are not requiring them to take personal responsibility for their actions. They are essentially telling their boys that it's okay to fail because they are boys. That makes about as much sense as allowing a child to believe that he cannot succeed because he is black. Parents, you won't find an answer to your boys' problems in the legal system or in excuses. By the way, the lawyer who filed the frivolous lawsuit should be sanctioned. His case will do as well as the lawsuits filed by the people who claimed that McDonald's made them fat.
-
Stick with Plato
[Read the article: The manliest of manly men, man]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I'm a Harvard graduate. I had two classes with Harvey "C-minus" Mansfield and he is the very definition of an effete, east-coast intellectual. His views on women are only rivaled by his views on race. He ought out to stick to writing about Plato.
-
The Employer's side
[Read the article: "One sick child away from being fired"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I am sympathetic to employees who are unable to participate in their child's school activities because of the demands of work. With regard to the cases mentioned in the article, I believe that you are focusing on just one side of the story. In my experience, employees who are terminated for attendance have records that reflect excessive tardiness and absenteeism. Many companies have "no fault" attendance policies that allow workers to take off for personal reasons without reprisal. In addition, the Family Medical Leave Act ("FMLA") affords employees 12 weeks of leave (which may be paid or umnpaid). My point is that employees do have options and in the egregious cases mentioned in the article, I have no doubt that the employees had awful attendance records. Also, when an employee is frequently absent, co-workers often pay the price in "forced" overtime or being called in to work early.
-
Things Fall Apart
[Read the article: Help! I'm avoiding and hiding again!]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I'm in the same boat. I don't open the mail. I don't open e-mails. I wait until the last minute to do everything. My house is full of clutter. I've started sleeping in the guest room because my room is too messy. Let's not talk about my office. I can't find anything in it. I have done nothing on a project that is due on Monday. I don't understand why I cannot do the things I need to do. I do understand that I am sabotaging myself and adding extra stress to my life, but I can't seem to do anything about this. I've tried therapy. It stressed me out.
I thank all the people who have written in with suggestions. I hope that I will actually try some of them. The only thing that I have been able to change in the last two years is paying bills on time. On-line banking has saved me hundreds of dollars in late fees. I just schedule the payments and the bank pays the bills on time. Good luck to all of you.
-
Don't be a complainer
[Read the article: My co-worker is driving me insane!]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]LW -- You need to give your complaints a rest. If management has told you (apparently more than once) that they are aware of Olga's performance issues, then you need to let management handle it. You may not agree with the way management handles the situation, but personnel decisions are not your responsibility, so you need to let this go. Olga sleeps well at night. You would sleep well too if you stopped trying to control a situation that you have no power to resolve. By the way in response to a previous letter, it is very possible at Fortune 500 companies for new hires to negotiate more vacation in lieu of additional salary. I've been kicking myself for years because I did not negotiate an additional week or two of vacation when I accepted my job. Good luck and remember that complaining too much can back fire.
-
?
[Read the article: The Fix]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]When did Al Sharpton become a lawyer?