Toledo Public Schools has a lot of nerve asking for more money when a printer for a school receives $51,000 in overtime pay ("Some in TPS make more than $100,000," March 29). Who approved this? Obviously not someone with a grade school education.

Kinko's is open 24 hours a day.Rush documents are a thing of the past when companies such as this are available. I am sure TPS can work out a deal with these companies.

More economical than hiring another person? Again, who came up with this?A part-time person receives no benefits for working fewer than 30 hours a week.

Come on, TPS. We are not as dumb as you give us credit for being. You want additional dollars from us, but no way.

Fix your own house before coming to mine with hat in hand again.

Dale R. Perne'

Talmadge Road

Close Libbey High School? As a graduate of Libbey, I am sad to think it will be shut and left to crumble ("Board told plan shuts Libbey even if levy wins," March 24).

Libbey students will be divided between Scott and Bowsher high schools. Libbey and Scott have always been great rivals. Although they will all be in the same building, there will still be "Libbey kids" and "Scott kids." Although Bowsher is new, it is already at, if not over, capacity.

It makes no sense that Toledo Public Schools supports charter schools but cannot keep up with its own.Libbey operates under the small-schools curriculum. Why notmove specialized schools into Libbey?

Anna Rista Miller

Hampsford Circle

Some letters have said that Toledo Public Schools teachers shouldn't be asked to consider a reduction of wages to help the district balance its budget.

I'd bet those writers see nothing wrong with the Toledo Federation of Teachers demanding higher wages in a healthy economy. If that is the rationale, then a weak economy should logically result in lower wages.

Perhaps Francine Lawrence, TFT president, and other union leaders should consider this simple but logical argument if we ever see a healthy economy again.

Matt Steele

Dundee, Mich.

The March 23 letter "TPS workers: try living on less," suggests Toledo teachers should work for less than $30,000 a year "as most citizens do."

What other profession expects its members to work for that amount while requiring a master's degree?

What is the education level obtained by citizens to whom the writer refers?

Teachers earn master's degrees while working full time and during summer months, which "most citizens" think is vacation time for teachers.

Laura Pinkston

Gibsonburg, Ohio

If the budget crisis in Toledo isn't enough, The Blade inflamed the situation with its inaccurate March 28 headline "Numerous safety workers receive 6-figure salaries." Those who do not read the entire article are left with a wrong impression of safety workers' salaries.

Salary is defined as "fixed compensation paid regularly for services." The article makes clear that many of the six-figure salaries are achieved by cashing in accumulated sick days, vacation time not taken, bonuses, and so on.

These are one-time payments and not part of individual salaries. The correct characterization of these incomes would have been to describe them as total compensation for a particular year, since this is not an annual occurrence.

I do not have a vested interest in the wages of any city safety worker, nor am I taking a stand on what a fair salary is for these workers. I'm only requesting that you be fair and accurate in headlines and reporting, because not everyone will read articles in detail.

Peter Straube

Barrington Drive

Great job on your articles about the pay received by certain local public employees. It's no wonder the Tea Party movement is enjoying great success.

The payments made for "unused sick leave" are obscene. These employees get three weeks' sick leave each year, in addition to several weeks of vacation, 13 holidays, and, presumably, some "personal days."

That's sevenor eight weeks each year when they are not working and still getting paid. Add the almost 30 percent contribution to their pensions and health insurance, with almost no employee contribution, and you have the perfect formula for a massive budget deficit.

Raising taxes won't solve the problem. It will just cause more companies and employees to move out of the city.

Ronald S. Moening

Barrington Drive

Suppose a school administrator had direct knowledge that a male teacher was sexually abusing young boys. The administrator decides not to report the incidents to police or the parents of the abused children.Instead, he takes money from the school system to give the teacher therapy, and then transfers the teacher to a different school. Should that administrator be fired or forced to resign?

Now replace "school administrator" with "Pope Benedict XVI," previously known as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. Replace "male teacher" with "pedophile priest."

Replace "school system" with "the Catholic Church" and then answer: Should Pope Benedict XVI, the presumed moral authority for those who profess the Catholic faith, resign?

Ron Black

Perrysburg

The headline of Jack Lessenberry's March 26 op-ed column, "In a democracy, sometimes you get what you don't like," presumes that the health-care reform bill was a product of democratic deliberation.

With so many opposed to the bill, it doesn'tappear Congress cares about what the majority think. You know, as in a democracy.

Mr. Lessenberry's "oh, well, it's over now"attitudeis not only condescending but wrong. If he thinks there's nothing the opposition can do to stop this irresponsible federal monstrosity, he ignores the possibilitythat the opposition can vote the rascals out andrepeal the trillion-dollar entitlements that promise to bankrupt ournation and shred our health-care system.

That's a minor point tocounter his supercilious appeal to a "distinguished professor of constitutional law" to set voters straight about how stupid we are to think we could stop this out-of-control spending bill.

The states' rights argument might not be the silver bullet, but it is not the only possible legal approach. I say that as neither a lawyer nor a constitutional scholar. I might have learned that in my high school civics class.

With all due respectto the journalism instructor, this debate is not over and he should not presume that it is. He must know that presumptions are theenemies of a press thatprides itself on impartiality.

Kay Eberth

Genoa

President Obama's stimulus money to General Motors is working. We own 60 percent of GM and where does our money go? To Canada. GM is rehiring 600 employees at two plants. This doesn't seem like a very good deal for the U.S.A.

Rodger Kokensparger

Kinder Road

First Published March 31, 2010, 8:54 a.m.