Letter: Why Hempstead schools struggle

I'd like to answer the question posed by William D. McLaurin, the administrator of Hempstead public schools ["Hempstead can't be LI's Ellis Island," Opinion, April 21]. He asked, "How else can one explain the economic and educational isolation found in communities such as Hempstead?"

One reason why the population in Hempstead is mostly "poor, immigrant and of color" is because of the abundance of rental properties like two- and three-family homes and apartment buildings. The same goes for Freeport. Low-income people who cannot afford to buy a home navigate to the rental market, and Hempstead has plenty of it.

By citing the plight of this community, McLaurin would have us believe that Long Islanders somehow collaborate and force people to live segregated lives in Hempstead. The questions he should be seeking answers to are why students find themselves at the bottom of the economic ladder in the first place? Could it be because of broken homes and absentee fathers? Could it be the result of bad parenting? Could it be because their parents came here illegally? Could it be that the families don't care about school?

Hempstead spends more than $18,000 per year per pupil. That's high among school districts around the country. Yet, Hempstead High School has a graduation rate that hovers around 48 percent.

Yes, there is something wrong in Hempstead, but to put the blame on Long Islanders for the district's misfortunes is terribly wrong.

Peter Ekstrom, North Massapequa

N.Y. gives Texas governor an opening

Instead of being mad at Texas Gov. Rock Perry (R) for coming to New York to try and lure our jobs away, let's get mad at Albany for providing him the opportunity ["Perry pitches Texas to NY businesses," Business, April 24].

James Coll, Seaford

Editor's note: The writer is the founder of ChangeNYS.org, a reform advocacy organization.

Temporary power jobs are no lure

The Caithness II developer estimates 270 construction jobs as one reason to recommend this proposed power plant ["Price of power," News, April 22].

Most jobs are welcome, but these would be temporary. When the Shoreham power plant was under construction, there was a good supply of well-paying jobs. However, they are long gone, and we have the $5-plus-billion bill to pay off.

The moral of the story is, when calculating the positives of the new station, take the temporary jobs off the table because they are a fable.

James Deegan, Wading River

Free advice for MacArthur Airport

Islip town is spending $100,000 for consultants to evaluate the declining use of Long Island MacArthur Airport ["Consultants hired to aid struggling airport," News, April 24].

Let me do it for free:

1. No direct rail access.

2. Parking is too expensive.

3. Zero advertising to eastern Nassau County.

4. No direct flights other than to some Florida airports.

Offer cheap parking and subsidized limousine and taxi service, provide flights to almost all destinations east of Chicago non-stop, and let the public know about it.

Arthur Abrahamsen, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

Lying has no place in politics

The Ohio law that bars political candidates from recklessly making false statements is sensible ["Justices jab at Ohio law on campaign lies," News, April 23].

It's absurd to claim this law infringes upon freedom of speech. With virtually limitless funds poured into certain campaigns, it would be so easy to spread lies about a candidate through TV, radio and newspaper ads. Hearing the same story over and over again, and seeing it in print, is an effective tactic in swaying people.

We saw this from Joseph Goebbels, propaganda minister of Adolf Hitler's Third Reich, with horrific results. Mudslinging and lying are indefensible, especially during campaigns, when so much is at stake.

Phyliss Grodofsky, Merrick

Marijuana for medical purposes

I'm baffled by the controversy that surrounds the issue of legalizing marijuana for medical purposes ["Health risks tied to pot," News, April 27]. What makes medicinal marijuana deserving of so much attention when there are a multitude of prescription drugs with the potential for abuse?

Regarding the debate over whether the state should favor the supply and use of marijuana-based oils over the unadulterated smokable form, I ask, why not both? Many pharmaceuticals are available in various forms: pills and liquids taken orally, skin patches and injectable formulations.

Surely no single delivery system would be optimal for every patient. Multiple systems of delivery of medical grade marijuana should be made available to ease the pain of chronically and terminally ill people who may not respond to or tolerate other medications.

Dennis Boyle, Flushing