SCHOOLS: Don’t vote with fear
Coeur d'Alene Press | UPDATED 4 years, 2 months AGO
The Feb. 11 report on the Coeur d’Alene state superintendents candidate forum brought back memories of my school years. I attended school during the time of Joe McCarthy. My dad was so convinced that our local high school was full of godless communist teachers he was considering a local religious school.
The neighbor kids went to the high school so I asked my dad to go see for himself. And much to his credit, he paid a visit to the high school principal. He took me along. I remember sitting in that office and hearing the principal offer to give my dad any of the textbooks so he could review them.
All eight of us kids ended up going to the local public school.
The comments made by the candidates for State Superintendent bring me back to the time when fear ran rampant. It’s the same today.
Branden Durst is selling fear without facts. I think he is so desperate to be elected that he is willing to say and do anything to achieve that goal. He switched parties from Democrat to Republican and now he conjures up boogeymen in hopes you will be afraid enough to vote for him.
Debbie Critchfield reminds me of that principal who met with my dad. She spoke of local control and those opportunities we have to find out for ourselves. She focuses on facts. And it is facts, not fear that we need in times like these.
MARY OLLIE
Bonners Ferry