Mailbag: Keep elementary music program

I am encouraging support for the instrumental music program in Glendale elementary schools (“Save elementary music program,” May 18).

Glendale Unified School District has 20 elementary schools, and all of them are served by four teachers.

These teachers have no permanent location. Materials are carried to each school daily. The classes are large, and go from beginners to more advanced students. Many times a teacher doesn’t even have time for a lunch break.

These students gain an amazing amount of music education in a very limited time. The impact on the secondary schools of canceling this program would be a disaster. Glendale schools gain a great deal from this program for a very limited amount of money. I strongly support continuing the instrumental music program in Glendale elementary schools.

LUCILE LEARD

Glendale

Editor’s note: Leard is a retired Glendale Unified music teacher.

Wars are costing us, not health reform

I’ll give Francis Adams points for extreme candor, expressing satisfaction with his Medicare supplemented by private insurance, then saying we must pull up the drawbridges (“Reform’s effects will take a while,” May 5). We can’t afford health care for all because we have to cut the federal deficit.

I’m glad she has good health coverage, unlike many others. In fact on the very same day that Adams raised the specter under our nascent health-care reforms of doctor offices “overflowing” and of “long waits” for care, as she claims happens in Britain’s National Health Service (not true, by the way), the Los Angeles Times reported on thousands waiting days for basic care in the second remote area medical clinic in Los Angeles.

There were more than 6,600 reported clients, after 6,300 at their first clinic here last summer. The article cautioned that sporadic free clinics are inadequate to provide care for the one in four Californians lacking health insurance. Duh.

Meanwhile, just the ongoing costs without counting future obligations, of our deficit-financed wars will soon exceed $1 trillion. Worse, we are creating enemies here and abroad faster than we can kill them — our commanding generals on both fronts assure us neither can be won militarily.

Where are the Republicans (and “Blue Dog” Democrats) who are so concerned about deficits?

ROBERTA MEDFORD

Montrose

Give parcel tax option more time