Mailbag: O.C. student alarmed over proposed education funding cuts

Los Angeles Times

2 days ago

I am a high school student and I am here this week in the ACLU National Advocacy Institute in Washington, D.C. to get a sense of how the law of the land extends throughout this country. That's why I became so alarmed to read that the U.S. Supreme Court has paved the way for mass layoffs at the Department of Education and the Trump administration has announced its intention to close it.
In its functions, this department ensures just funding, the protection of civil rights and the support of special needs children. It would be the students in lower-resourced communities, many of whom are in my own community, Santa Ana, who would most bear the brunt of it being broken apart. Without federal action, there is a fear that educational justice will be left behind.
This is not an abstract issue to me. It affects my peers, my educators and my future. I strongly encourage leaders and communities to give this plan the thumbs down and demand a public, regulated and equitable education system.
Sahib GrewalSanta Ana
I've been participating in Indivisible protests near my home here in Huntington Beach for several months. As a person in my 70s and a retired high school American government teacher, I've been greatly affected by America's drift toward authoritarianism since the reelection of Donald Trump as president. Thus, I need to be out there — for myself but also in defense of the lessons I taught in my classroom about the inviolability of Constitutional law and the Bill of Rights.
Each week, I stand on the curb with my sign that reads 'This is not normal.' Horns are honked in support and fingers are thrust in the air in opposition. I even had one young man in a pickup pull over to the curb where I was standing and tell me to 'go back to the senior citizens' home.' That one hurt, but, thankfully, this is a free country where the 1st Amendment protects his free speech.
Then, recently, the vituperative responses crossed a line for me. First, a young father drove by angrily throwing an obscene gesture towards the protesters as his small daughter seated in a child's seat looked on. Then, a little later, a car drove past with a little boy, maybe 10 years old, making an obscene gesture out of the back seat of the car toward the protest. I suspect he was emulating his dad (or his mom).
Tragically, the breakdown of civility and civil discourse would appear to be destined to last for generations. Parents would do well to remember that the kids are watching how we handle this national crisis.
Lorraine GayerHuntington Beach
Since Donald Trump took the oath of office last January, I have read and reread the inscription at the Statue of Liberty several times. In part, it reads: '… A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name Mother of Exiles...with silent lips. 'Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore...'
It's not surprising that many artists are now depicting the Mother of Exiles — the Statue of Liberty — kneeling, her face hidden in her hands. Today's America, which is marked by presidential attacks on judges, law firms, and the judicial system itself, stands sharply at odds with this nation's enduring symbol of freedom. Equally troubling are the White House-approved ICE raids targeting communities of color. Simply put, these raids are designed to inflict cruelty.
If you believe these raids will end soon, you're mistaken. ICE agents, equipped with the names, addresses, and phone numbers of over 79 million Medicaid recipients, have unprecedented reach into private homes — day or night. It won't matter where you live in Orange County, if agents determine you should be deported, it's only a matter of time before they will start pounding on your door.
The rule of law, freedom of speech, and the right to peaceful protest have been fundamental to American democracy since its inception. Anyone who has visited the Statue of Liberty knows it represents more than decency; it serves as a powerful reminder that freedom is always worth protecting, no matter which way the political winds blow. If you ask me, today this principle is more crucial than ever.
Denny FreidenrichLaguna Beach
Re: 'Mariachi Nationals Summer Institute plays on in Anaheim, despite loss of NEA funding,' July 20.
I just read the piece to my dad; we are blown away.
Thank you for covering our annual camp. Having support from local partners such as TimesOC and Los Angeles Times is so important to continuing first, the folk genre itself, and second, exposure to donors who can help bring our goals to life.
José Hernandez Newport Beach