LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

At a breaking point

Ann de Bernard’s letter of Jan. 7 about the failure of distance learning is spot on. My wife and I (mostly my wife) are trying to shepherd two of our grandchildren through distance learning because both their parents are front-line workers and cannot be at home during school hours. One is in kindergarten and the other is a third-grader. They’ve largely been dutiful about staring at the screen, but they’re not learning nearly as much as in-person classes offer. Another daughter is trying to home-school a firstgrader and a fourth-grader while working from home.

I invite anyone in charge of deciding what to do about elementary education to try distance learning with two average kids, day after day after day, while maintaining a regular work schedule of their own.

My daughters also have about 8,000 Facebook friends and can provide anyone interested with a multi-volume list of names of moms who are near the end of their ropes with this situation. And this is happening all over the country.

What are we doing to American elementary education?

Robert Todd Shelton

Tax the wealthiest

Ignoring the pain of the thousands of our unemployed and low-income Connecticut residents is immoral and unnecessary. In this upcoming legislative session, we can show our compassion and strength as a state by abiding by what we teach our smallest children: Share!

Connecticut is one of the richest states in the United States. Fairly taxing our wealthiest residents in our state will raise the millions of dollars to protect crucial state services.

According to a recent extensive study by the CT Voices of Children “[If we] increase the current top rate of 6.99 percent on income over $500,000 for single filers ($1 million for joint filers) to 7.99 percent, and create a millionaire tax bracket of 8.49 percent on income over $1 million for single filer ($2 million for joint filers). This option is estimated to raise an additional $504 million a year.”

Monday, Jan. 18, is Martin Luther King Day. Instead of hearing politicians just quoting his “I Have a Dream” speech, start thinking about his last book that was published in the same year he was assassinated. In “Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?” Dr. King noted a quote from Hyman Bookbinder: “The poor can stop being poor if the rich are willing to become even richer at a slower rate.”

Thomas Connolly

West Hartford

‘The big lie’

The Connecticut Post must immediately stop publishing letters to the editor from domestic terrorists in support of the “the big lie” of a “stolen election.” This prudent and courageous editorial decision would not be an infringement of free speech but a responsible action to support American democracy. Richard Zboray Stratford