By DAVID IZRAELEVITZThere is a story of a farmer who, panicked by the approaching winter, decided to eat his seed corn along with his harvest so he would have more to eat then. When he survived the winter, there was no planting in spring, and he starved in summer.
I read the letters and internet postings opposing the school district mill levy that we have received by mail a few days ago, and can’t help but see the same story. The seed corn of Los Alamos County is our schools. Our excellent schools is what brings young families to live in Los Alamos, what keeps our home prices from suffering even more than they already have.
Over the next five years, there will be a generational change at LANL, and if we don’t continue to fund the school building remodeling, school buses, furniture and other items supported by this levy, we will only make it more difficult for our economic engine. This is not only about better education for our children, this is about the resale value of our homes, our quality of life, our future as a community.
In every organization there is room for improvement, whether our schools, our laboratory, or our own productivity. Don’t let this argument, now used to undermine our schools, maybe later used to undermine LANL, keep you from taking the time to fill out your positive vote. Don’t let the naysayers who argue from bitterness or ignorance, including some whose family has benefited from previous positive votes, work to destroy our precious seed corn. Their minds will not be changed but we can outvote them. Fill out the ballot today, and call all your friends and neighbors who believe in a future for Los Alamos to do the same.