We welcome your contributions for the "Sound Off" viewer opinion column. To submit a contribution, e-mail SoundOff@NorthCountryNow.com, fax 315-268-8701, mail to North Country This Week, PO Box 975, Potsdam, NY 13676, or visit our office, 19 Depot St., Potsdam. Keep submissions to 150 words or fewer; all are subject to editing. We receive more Sound Offs than we have room for; to increase the chances your submission will be posted, offer an opinion on new topics that have not appeared in "Sound Off," present your comments in a tasteful, thoughtful manner, and don’t criticize local people or businesses.

Not an 8 hr./day job
I’m writing in response to “Not A Full Year’s Job” (June 18-24). First, I would like to point out that a teacher just hired in the North Country does not make anywhere near $48,000. Perhaps after a substantial number of years, teaching a salary may reach that, but that goes with any job -- you are rewarded and given raises for time invested and a job well done. Further, I would like to point out that teachers may not work the entire year, but we seem to have forgotten about the countless nights, weekends and summers spent planning, preparing, grading papers, spending time after school with students and working on New York State curriculum.

Right on red, okay?
In this era of $4.30 gasoline, perhaps our town fathers could help everyone out by removing the forest of “No Turn on Red” signs that seem to pop up everywhere in the village. I recently returned from trips to the Albany area and Southern California, and rarely saw one of these signs, despite traffic that was several orders of magnitude and complexity greater that what we see around here. Sitting at a light, idling, waiting for a right turn with no traffic is a complete waste of energy, and time. Trust the driver to do the right thing.

Can we fix this?
With gas prices what they are, could someone please explain to me why our schools are running buses on the last day of school for one hour? The wasted fuel, impact on the environment, safety risk for kids, etc. and cost of this is mind boggling. When I ask the schools this question they tell me it is because of “state aid”. Doesn’t anyone see that this is sheer craziness? Can’t our school officials work to change this policy? I wonder how much gas and money is wasted for all the schools in St. Lawrence County that run half days or one hour days the last two weeks of school. I bet the number would appall most residents. So why can’t our elected officials and school boards do something to fix this?

Drop summer school?
I am very disappointed to see where Norwood-Norfolk schools want to make cuts in the budget. I cannot believe that they want to do away with the summer school program. To say that only 50 or so kids go to the program and therefore it is not as important as the 800 or so kids that go there is totally off base. The children who are utilizing this program are the ones who desperately need it. As far as where else to look for cuts, everyone else seems to be saying the same thing: administration. If everyone else has to do more work and downsize areas, then so should they. I realize that no one wants to do away with someone’s job but it may be necessary. Summer school is $27,000 or so, only a fraction of an administrator’s pay. Maybe looking at combining some administrators’ duties should be researched. We keep cutting into the children’s needs not only education but also other activities such as music and sports. Where is it going to end?

N-N contingency
A contingency budget is passed and a librarian saved. That is the good news. Norwood-Norfolk Central School still ignores its community at the expense of the students. Polls asked them to cut administration with “declining numbers.” We don’t buy the “We are in line with other schools” argument. We don’t need the numbers administrators we have, yet they cut and elementary teacher and the summer school program. They say they want the community to talk to them but they continue to ignore us. We can only hope when the new board members take office they help this board to see what the taxpayers want and stand up to the superintendent and its board president to voice our concerns. Maybe they can also hold the superintendent to living in the district as it should be.

Happy summer
I wish I lived in a free country in the Northern Hemisphere near a clean mountain-fed river where at liberty I could boat, swim or fish. I would take a deep breath of fresh air and say, “It’s all good.” Oh, look -- My wish came true! Happy summer.

Excesses must stop
In response to the person who seems somewhat sarcastic in his attitude to the universities’ attempts at control (“Why Do They Pledge?” June 25-July 1): I do not believe the colleges ever expect to stop the underage drinking or the hazing that goes on in fraternities or for that matter all over the campuses. They do, however, intend to send the message that excesses leading to death, injury and hospitalization must stop. None of us expect the students to be tee-totaling angels. We do expect them to act the adult age they have attained and not force others into doing things they might choose not to do otherwise, except for having a need to belong to the group!

Living, learning
The recent article trumpeting the decline of Greek houses is no cause for celebration. In a town where education is the primary business, and thousands of college students support the community from August to May, the Greek houses represent an opportunity for students to put down roots and become functioning residents with a little more at stake than the dorm residents. The life lessons learned running a house, handling a crisis, paying bills, getting estimates, and managing a property take more maturity than those who spend their entire college careers living on campus. Learning to do these things takes time and there will be inevitable stumbles. Facing familiar issues as regular homeowners, rising utilities, insurance, etc., many houses depend on their alumni to make ends meet. The houses are an important part of the history and charm of Potsdam and what keeps me returning to Potsdam as a proud sorority alumni. Let’s get all the parties on the same page.

Motorcycle seatbelts NOT
In response to the motorcycle seatbelts complaint (“Motorcycle Seatbelts,” June 18-24), you obviously have never ridden a motorcycle before, because that is the dumbest statement I have ever heard. First of all you don’t put seatbelts on motorcycles because would you want to be strapped to a rocket if it was sliding across the pavement or up against a tree? No! With a car you have protection around you and the point is to stay in the car so it can protect you, hence that’s where the seatbelt comes in. All motorcyclists are taught if you feel you’re sliding or going to take a digger, then you try to jump off and get as far away as possible so you don’t get any more injuries.

Add Gouverneur bus
I would like to add my voice to those pleading for expanded bus routes in the county, in particular, commuter bus service to and from Gouverneur (“Commuter Bus Times,” June 18-24). I know working people that drive to Gouverneur from Ogdensburg, Potsdam, Canton and the surrounding areas every day, myself included. There are people working at the prison, at the Gouverneur schools, at Kinney Drugs and at the county and state offices in Canton that would greatly benefit from a bus service to and from Gouverneur. Please add Gouverneur to the list of towns needing this service. (See letter Page 6.)

Consolidate bus runs
Why does Potsdam Central School persist in having two bus runs in the morning and two in the afternoon? On our short dead-end road, one bus goes by at 7 a.m. and another at 8 a.m. I doubt it picks up more than one or two students each time. Why can’t these runs be consolidated to pick up everyone at 7:30 a.m.? It would save gas for the school system and money for everyone. Thank you.

Porkers aloft
As I was driving to work, eight miles out of my way, mind you, due to the Madrid bridge being closed and with no apparent end to the situation, I happened to notice a very interesting weather vane. It is in West Potsdam and is a very well done pig with wings. I had to smile. Now, given the reason as to my traveling that route, I wonder: Is this some cosmic hint that the bridge might reopen “When Pigs Fly”?

Why do they pledge?
I think it is laughable that SUNY Potsdam and Clarkson think that they will get their fraternities to stop underage drinking. (Almost as funny as saying they are against hazing when the walls of our frat houses are lined with paddles). Why do they think students pledge fraternities? If you could guarantee the members that there would be no more drunk underage girls in the frat houses, the brothers would all quit tomorrow.

Don’t cut special ed
On the Potsdam school budget: Please don’t think about cutting the Committee on Special Education chairperson position back to part time as it is now and is supposed to be full time starting in July. Special education needs to be supervised full time. This is the perspective of a parent that has a child in special education who wants to learn, who needs a lot of extra help, who seems not to be getting all the help needed. I think they need to get more supportive programs instead of cutting them.

Turns down seatbelt idea
I am pleased to know that citizens are looking out for the welfare of motorcyclists. Quite often it seems that we are getting a bad name, especially when it comes to abiding laws. You bring up a unique point, being that motorcycle riders don’t wear seatbelts. But, I feel that there are some negative repercussions to wearing a seatbelt on a motorcycle. If I were to have to lay my motorcycle down in an emergency situation, I wouldn’t want to be strapped to it as it skids down the blacktop and disintegrates. A motorcycle can skid down the road for an extremely long time before it stops even at speed of 55 miles per hour. I think if actually propose this idea to motorcycle riders, you would find that most of them would turn this idea down. In fact, I believe many riders would laugh in your face. It seems that wearing a “motorcycle seatbelt” could actually endanger my life more than it could save me.

Seat belts, helmets
I must admit that I’ve read some funny comments, but the comparison of cars and motorcycles is just ridiculous (“Motorcycle Seatbelts,” June 18-24). There is no body around a bike. That is why there is a law that requires motorcyclists wear helmets. Would people who drive cars like to wear a helmet?

Saving energy
Towns and villages really need to consider consolidating due to the simple reason it will save the taxpayer some money. Duplicate services are almost always run at separate locations with the exception of a few towns and villages in the county.

Regarding society
I find the irony disheartening in “Insubstantial Atrocities” (June 11-17) where the author, claiming that the “letters and blurbs [submitted to Sound Off] are grammatical atrocities,” can’t compose a grammatically correct statement either. What is most annoying is the use of the phrase “in regards to” as this is akin to hearing fingernails dragged across a chalkboard. I see this written and hear it spoken too often and wonder what’s become of our society. The correct phrase is “in regard to.” There is no “s” on regard. One can say “as regards” (with the “s”), “with regard to” or “in regard to” -- all meaning “concerning” or “with respect to” -- but saying “in regards to” reflects a level of ignorance. Our language usage, written and colloquial, has gone downhill rapidly despite the best efforts of school and college English departments. That’s just sad.

Save jobs and town
What is going to happen when the good folks all leave this tax heavy town or the folks next door lose their house to foreclosure? Will the teachers and town officials think maybe we should have worked to help ease this for the people of our town? I hate to point this out, but most folks never return to this town after graduating as there is nothing here for them. Please consider reducing the taxes to save your job and the town.

Insulted
Does crime only exist in towns and cities that have fraternities and are only caused by fraternity members? Is Potsdam the only town that has underage people drinking alcohol, or maybe this happens through the entire country and non fraternal individuals? Fraternities have been long standing in Potsdam for decades and have done their fair share of bad things and good things for the community. Do you think if Potsdam and Clarkson University did not exist in Potsdam that it would have what little of an economy that it does? There is a rather large amount of students that are in a fraternity (both social and academic) and throughout the years they have done many good things for the community. I’m sure you are aware that there are some academic fraternity’s that do not traditionally have a “house” that throw parties. Your writer is insulting honor societies that are fraternal (”Are Frat Houses Becoming A Thing of the Past?" June 11-17). I myself am an alumni of SUNY Potsdam, both a fraternity member and an honors graduate.

Motorcycle seatbelts
How is it right that motorcycles do not need seat belts? The driver can be in an accident, thrown far and get seriously hurt. But a person driving a car without the shoulder belt on gets a ticket for no seat belt? This does not seem right. A motorcycle driver would have more of a chance of getting hurt than car drivers. I think our lawmakers need to sit down and think about some of the motor vehicle rules and find out how much sense some of the rules do not make.

Consider consolidation
Maybe it is time for our local government services to consider consolidation. Rather than add new and share existing facilities, we could eliminate our village and town governments and run under one authority. Talk about eliminating duplication of services. Or does this make too much sense? Unfortunately, this would eliminate some of our “stellar” politicians.

Backs 4-day work week for county workers
St. Lawrence County government employees are asking the legislators to cut the work week to four days to save on heating and cooling expenses for one day a week, to save employees’ gas expenses in extra driving, and to save us taxpayers money. I think this is one of the best ideas to come around in a long time. Let workers stay ten hours or less only four days. Give us taxpayers a break on heating and cooling those big buildings. Closing down three days out of seven should help on expenses. Taxpayers have enough of a burden and now with these high fuel costs, things are only going to get worse. Hopefully, the legislators will listen and approve. We all need a break.

Middle class extinct?
High property taxes? The American middle class is expected to pay for everything from the criminal activities of a “president” who was never elected either time to $4 a gallon for gasoline. For everything from the high costs of basic necessities like food to the astronomical cost of health care, which is now considered a luxury rather than a necessity. Rather than doing something to help us, such as lowering taxes or providing municipal power, what should town and village officials do but slam us with ridiculous property assessments? We are victimized by elected officials at every level of government, not to mention corporations as well. Who will support all of these parasites when the middle class becomes extinct?

Commuter bus times
Given the high price of gas, I am wondering what, if anything, the St. Lawrence County Planning Office has done to encourage the development of public transportation designed for working people. The only buses I see don’t have routes or times for commuters. Can someone from the office please let us know what they are doing? How about a bus running back and forth during commuting hours between Canton, Potsdam and Ogdensburg?

It’s not the money
After rehashing and rehashing the “new town hall,” it seems the Potsdam Town Board still is not getting the message. The people of Potsdam do not want a new town hall outside of town on the Lawrence Avenue property. It amazes me that after this much time they still have not figured it out. Do something downtown and people might think differently. How about the old Potsdam Feed and Coal Property, or revisit Clarkson University Snell Hall. The bottom line is not always everything.

Not a full year’s job
In response to “Tough Enough For Teachers” (June 11-17), let’s look at it a little closer in regards to them being the lowest paid professionals requiring a masters’ degree. After researching the Internet (payscale.com), I found the average salary for a teacher in New York State to be just over $48,000. This is for about nine months of actual work since they don’t work a full year. Broken down, that equates to a $64,000 salary if they worked a full year’s job. That’s a very good salary in upstate New York given the cost of living. Now add in the healthcare benefits. I agree, it’s not the easiest job, and we do have to attract a standard of quality teachers to instruct, but I have a hard time shedding any tears when they are out picketing because they don’t want to pay for their health insurance, now or after they retire.

Maybe take another job?
In response to “Tough Enough For Teachers” and “Stop School Bashing” (June 11-17), two comments come to mind: “Teach your children” and “We entrust our children’s future to our teachers.” I agree wholeheartedly with both these comments. If you chose your career to be a teacher, then be one -- and be a good one -- because we do entrust our school boards to hire competent teachers to assist with our children’s future. The first time a saw a sign from the NNCS teachers that said “Working for your kids without a contract,” I was livid. I understand teachers have a myriad of responsibilities and I am extremely thankful to the many good teachers and administrators at NNCS. However, when teachers proclaim by bulletin boards and picketing the board of education meetings, it only fuels the fire that perhaps teachers are more concerned about themselves than our children. If you are not happy with your salary or your job, you should choose a different job, because our children are the ones who suffer.

Where’s mine?
I was just reading this article (“Tough Enough For Teachers” June 11-17), and was interested in the statement that correction officers and troopers receive free health insurance. I would like to ask where this information came from? As a 25-year employee of the New York State Correctional Services, I appear to have missed out on this free insurance.

Health plan inappropriate
With all the discussion about the paid health care for Potsdam Village Board members I have a few questions. Does this seem equitable to the taxpayers of the village? The trustees are paid for their part time services. It is my belief that part time employees should not get paid health care or at the very least they should only qualify for a single person plan which would soften the blow to the taxpayers. Does anyone else have any opinions on this problem?

CFLs and mercury
The government has shoved another bag of goods down our throats. The environmental whiz Al Gore declared that CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Lamps) will save power, but at what expense? By adding more hazardous wastes to our bodies and environment. CFLs contain mercury, and when they are broken our environment now contains mercury vapor. When CFLs are tossed into the landfill, this mercury is now in our waste stream. How many people follow the disposal regulations of a light bulb? Let’s not forget, this is an EPA listed hazardous material. Regulated handling of its disposal and use are needed. Broken lamps are fairly common in the household. Do you know how to reach the local Hazmat team when you expose your children to mercury vapors from a broken lamp? Do you know the symptoms of mercury poisoning? Most good ideas come at a cost. Please think before you “Save the World.” Thank you.

Other communities, too
I think it is great that Wal-Mart is going to be giving donations to the community. But the supervisor and the mayor might want to have considered all the neighboring communities who will have people shopping at the Wal-Mart who might need donations instead of taking all $15,000 for Potsdam. I certainly hope that all the towns in the North Country will benefit from Wal-Mart since the Potsdam community will not be the only ones shopping there.

Junior hockey deserving?
I applaud Wal-Mart for their generous donations to the Potsdam Neighborhood Center and Potsdam Fire Department, both very deserving of any help the community can give them, both able to help a large population of people in the Potsdam and surrounding areas. But who in the world would think that Potsdam Junior Hockey even comes close to be a deserving group? I have watched hockey groups in St. Lawrence County for many years and all I can see is a bunch of spoiled kids who’s parents can well afford the expense themselves, but would rather the community help fund their children’s play time locally so that it frees up the parents money to pay for very costly summer hockey camps for their children to attend. Shame on the Potsdam representatives who promoted or recommended donations to Potsdam Junior Hockey. Why not just Potsdam youth recreation? Seems to me that many more youth could have been served in this area than just singling out hockey. Maybe someone has a personal interest?

Insubstantial atrocities
In regards to all of the letters and the blurbs I am reading in the Sound Off section, it is very clear to me that something needs to change with at least the local English departments in our schools. Most of these letters and blurbs are grammatical atrocities with no substance.

It's tough enough for teachers
In response to “Give Public a Say”(June 4-10): After reading your views on the Norwood-Norfolk Central School teacher situation, I feel that you proved a very important point. Some people clearly do not understand the education system. You said teachers should receive “pay more reasonable for regular folk.” Teachers are among the lowest paid professionals who are required to have a master’s degree; most people could make more in a profession that does not require even an associate’s degree, and yet teachers choose to stay in college and earn the extra degree so that they can teach your children. You also suggest that we make them pay for their health insurance. Should we take away the free health insurance of corrections officers and state troopers as well? And do you really feel that it is a wise idea for people who are working with your children every day to not be able to afford proper health care? You also stated that teachers should be “evaluated yearly on job performance.” Teachers are evaluated each and every time their classes take yearly required standardized tests, and can be reprimanded accordingly if their classes perform poorly. If teachers made even less than they do now and had to pay for health insurance, what motivation would they have to stay in college long enough to become teachers and provide a good education to our children?

Sportsmanship
This is in response to the article “Kudos For C-P Lacrosse” (May 14-20). I wish that all teams that play lacrosse could be more like the Colton lacrosse team. I was recently at the playoff game Canton vs Potsdam. I was shocked and amazed by the rude behaviors that were displayed by the Canton players and the Canton fans. If the championship could be given on merit and sportsmanship it should have gone to the Colton team. Canton did not deserve to win or be awarded this honor.

What about Lowe’s?
Could someone explain to me why no one has said a word about Lowe’s coming into Potsdam, which will be affecting local merchant competition? Yet they are still complaining about Wal-Mart? Why the dual standards? Wal-Mart will be so much more useful, especially for all the college students. Closer driving for a lot of the older people and handier if someone needs something in a jiffy. There are a lot of shops in Potsdam that do not carry a lot of things that people need and still need to run to Wal-Mart for in Massena. If someone doesn’t agree with that then they don’t shop much. I think it’s great Wal-Mart is coming to Potsdam and I am counting the days.