Once again the mayor of Lincoln has fumbled. How many chances does she get?

She said put politics aside. What a joke.

Why not have the police department investigate her? Why and how can she give nearly $700,000 in late delivery charges away? She has cost the city more money and friends than any other mayor beside the one before her.

She is the talk and joke of this town.

William Micek, Lincoln

Vote no on ban

It’s hard to think that Lincoln’s council could not dismiss any proposal that Mayor Coleen Seng has to ban concealed carry in Lincoln. In reality, a ban would invite thugs to Lincoln.

Responsible Lincoln residents are not going to have a “shoot-out” on the streets of Lincoln. Members of Lincoln’s council need to wake up and vote no to a ban on concealed weapons!

The Legislature voted the law to take effect Jan. 1. Help the citizens of Lincoln to be great citizens and to always protect themselves.

Fred Wegelin, Lincoln

Stand by professionals

Every school year, we send our daughters to spend their days with teachers. These adults are important in the kids’ young lives. So, of course, we want them to know a lot. But we also want them to be kind, caring and good listeners. We want them to be professionals who know their stuff and know kids’ hearts. Professionals like that are people we can trust.

Professionals like that thrive when they are given the tools to do their job and are trusted to do it. They don’t thrive when their work is scripted and reduced to teaching to tests designed by corporate “experts.” And they don’t thrive when they are made to compete against each other and threatened with punishment if their numbers aren’t high enough.

With its local assessment model, Nebraska and its commissioner, Doug Christensen, have chosen to honor and invest in teachers’ professionalism, instead of handing public education over to testmakers and textbook companies. That’s the Nebraska way: Communities control public education, not the state, not big business and certainly not the federal government.

Now the federal government is pressuring Nebraska to give up local assessments in favor of state tests. As parents, we find this infuriating. Having lived in high-stakes testing states, we know the difference between teaching and test prep. And we know that Nebraska educators are second to none.

We who care about public education need to stand by these professionals and say to the federal government, “Not with our children, you don’t.” 

Maureen and Chris Gallagher, Lincoln

Nothing in common

So poor Pete Ricketts failed in his attempt to get the assessment on his house reduced.

So let me get this straight: He paid $1.2 million for his house seven years ago, has since made improvements on it, and he protested the assessment going from $900,000 to $1.2 million?

In his first campaign ad he said that public schools give you a great education, but apparently he doesn’t want to pay his fair share for it.

He has scared the electorate about the so-called death tax, when in fact it will not affect 99.9 percent of us. Naturally, it will probably affect him. What this country does not need is yet another politician only interested in his own self-gain.

Ricketts says that he feels the burden of taxation as do other Nebraskans.

Ricketts does not feel the same burden that the working men and women of this state do. He has nothing in common with us on this issue, and shouldn’t even pretend he does.

Gregory E. Mertz, Lincoln

What are we missing?

Both Nebraska senators have just voted yes on a bill for yet another free trade agreement, this one with the Middle East state of Oman.

According to the Congressional Budget Office, this will cost the American taxpayers at least

$279 million over the next 10 years, mostly in lost payroll taxes for outsourced jobs.

At the same time, the State Department’s June 2006 report on world slavery places Oman near the top of the list of the world’s worst offenders, and on the State Department’s watch list.

What is it about free trade, giveaways to foreign governments, busting the budget and the promotion of slavery don’t we ignorant voters understand that these two geniuses do?

Sam Thornton, Omaha

Thanks for helping

Our family wishes to thank a good samaritan, who gave his first name as Mike, for the help he gave us when our family dog Olive ran in front of his pickup on Monday. It was my fault that the backyard gate hadn’t been locked, and there was no way that his pickup could have avoided hitting her. Mike helped me chase her down, and then drove us to the vet.

Sadly, Olive did not recover. But the compassion of Mike and our neighbors who helped will not be soon forgotten … not by me, nor by my children who witnessed this unfortunate event.

Deb McGuire, Lincoln

Respect single parents

In response to the overwhelming media assumption that children of single “mothers” produce inferior children, and single “fathers” are somehow heroes, and gay parents can’t do a good job, I would just like to say “eat it.”

If your spouse leaves the relationship, and there is no-fault divorce — anyone can become a non-consenting single parent. The hardest part is putting up with people like Julie Benesch, whose recent letter titled “Think of the children” presumes a great deal.

I am sick of it. I have been a single parent of four children for 11 years.

As a single parent, where did the ton of kids from the two-parent families, friends of my children, hang out through junior high and high school? My house. Evidently there are many two-parent families who have it so totally together that they can’t handle the noise, invasion, the mess and the extra cooking required when teens commune. This single parent got to know all of their kids, receive confidences and knew where her own children were at all times.

All four of my children have different personalities. However, all are caring and compassionate. They are all in gifted classes, and the only one who has reached adulthood at this writing is not quite 19 years old, and in his second year of college studying physics and math with a B+ average.

All of my kids have an incredible sense of humor and irony. They are competitive, quick-witted and interesting company. They are readers. They are outgoing and self-assured. They have talent and do not need to rely on hate groups for their self-esteem. They are not perfect, but they are the raw material that is what will make this country greater.

They have watched me work full-time, make dinner before running off to teach one or two nights a week, and come home to do laundry. My kids have always known they could call me at work for any reason whatsoever, and that I would not work for someone who had a problem with that.

I will close with this challenge: The next time you need to feel superior to a single parent, have your spouse take a month’s vacation and do everything yourself. Hmmm … not so superior after all?

Patricia R. Wenzl, Lincoln