As a Northsider, I might add that the school board members didn't vote to close schools that any of their children attend or the schools in the neighborhoods where most of them live. Even Pratt School in SE, which only has 80 students, remained open while schools with many more students on the Northside were closed. I do think all parents, including school board members should participate in the schools their children attend; what school board members shouldn't do is somehow make those schools and neighborhoods more important or deserving then any others. Buzzy Bohn Folwell
> John Harris wrote: > > > If you start demanding elected officials to not partake in situations > > such as this one, will you require school board members to not have > > kids in the public schools they represent? make legislators who have > > kids in minnesota public schools not vote on issues relating to public > > education? how about if they have relatives that have kids in > > schools? friends? where would it stop? > > This argument contains a number of logical fallacies. Among them is the > "parade of horribles," a faulty form of hyperbole. > > It would be appropriate for a school board member to not meddle directly in > the schools their children attend. However, that does not preclude them from > appropriately looking at the school system as a whole and representing the > public interest. > > It would seem John Harris has no problem with the former mayor of Denver who > had his street plowed first when it snowed. > > Do we really want to live in a city where elected officials (mayor, city > council, park board, school board, library board) take care of themselves, > their streets, their local parks, schools and libraries first, and the closest > streets, parks, schools and libraries of their cronies, families and friends? > Or would we prefer they at least make some reasonable attempt to act in the > public interest? > > Votes for DeLaSalle are votes for patronage, special interests and cronyism -- > not because DeLaSalle is a bad school, but rather because the greater public > good is done by keeping the park land available to all as open park space, and > because of the many problems and ethical lapses in the process arriving at > such a decision. > > Faulty attempts to use reductio ad absurdum fails to negate the ethical > problems some of the commissioners have in making this vote. > > Chris Johnson > Fulton > -- > http://www.MplsParkWatch.org/ > > REMINDERS: > 1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. > If you think a member is in violation, contact the list manager at [EMAIL > PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. > > 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. > > For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html > For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract > ________________________________ > > Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn > E-Democracy > Post messages to: mailto:[email protected] > Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls REMINDERS: 1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If you think a member is in violation, contact the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[email protected] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
