Letters: Tax cap lawsuit's about salaries
Classrooms across Long Island were empty on Thursday. Check our listings of delayed openings, closures and cancellations to see what's in store for Friday. Credit: Daniel Brennan
In reference to your article "Teachers v. tax cap" [News, Feb. 21], the teachers union filed this lawsuit for one reason and one reason only: To increase taxes in order to get larger salary increases and enhanced benefits for their teachers and administrators. The union doesn't care about disparities in school districts, unequal funding, etc.
Let's not be fooled: We need spending caps, and we need fiscal responsibility.
The comment at the conclusion of the article, that Long Islanders are experiencing the cap's "negative impact," totally misses the point.
If we do not get control of school spending and taxes on Long Island, there will not be anybody left here to pay the taxes.
Stuart J. Pastrich, Dix Hills
If the state teachers' union succeeds in overturning the governor's 2 percent cap on school and other budgets, then school boards and town and county leaders should lay off enough union teachers and others to maintain the cost at the 2 percent cap.
If the agreement with the police does not hold because of court rulings ["Freeze nixed," News, Feb. 15], then those elected officials should lay off enough union members to regain the budget amounts lost.
If unions lose members, then the membership will set their leaders straight, and we will not have these court cases.
Bob Fredericks, Shelter Island Heights
