Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

LETTER TO THE EDITOR:

Responsibility is the fix, not money

My view differs from those offered by Tiffany Tyler in the June 7 column “At-risk students aren’t lazy; they’re battling barriers.” Agreeing that all students are worthy of our time and efforts, throwing more money at the problem is not the answer.

Growing up poor, in a one-parent household with a mother who averaged 60 hours a week at work, I found myself raising my younger brother and sister. Qualifying for free lunches and state-assisted medical care, we received Government Surplus foods monthly at a central distribution point. This food was nutritious and plentiful, but you couldn’t sell it for pennies on the dollar as was done with food stamps and is with EBT funds, and you had to pick it up, requiring some ambition.

That said, I completed multiple college degree programs, served 28 years in the Army and worked as a professor at the University of Minnesota. My younger sister and brother completed high school, with only my older brother failing to graduate high school. The difference being he was irresponsible, lacked respect for authority and was disruptive in school.

I succeeded because I accepted responsibility for my own life and I knew that self-discipline and education were key to my ability to escape poverty. I didn’t run with what we called hoodlums, nor did I skip school or disrupt classrooms. I had work ethic.