As the parent of a recent Westfield High graduate and a current senior there, I felt the need to voice my opinion in the recent happenings. Mr. Carter, respect is earned, so if you want these kids to respect you, you also need to respect them! Accosting them at the front door on the third day of school and sending them home to change, (using their gas that they paid for) is not the way to do it! Their dress was inappropriate based on your opinion, not the dress codes. If you read the current dress code, it is very vague. Shouldn’t a clear and concise dress code have been sent home before school began? This needs to be done ASAP. Also, on another note, by taking away dress down Fridays for teachers, you are taking away money from the student council. The teachers donated that money to them. You need to re-think that! You are no longer in the ghetto Mr. Carter. This is Westfield and most of these kids are good kids that work hard in and out of school. Don’t ruin them! In regard to the work to rule action taken by our teachers, good for them! I have spent countless hours volunteering in the schools over the years and have seen how hard our teachers work. They spend their own money on supplies for their classrooms, head up clubs at the high school and write recommendation letters for our seniors for college. Sure there may be a few poor ones, but for the most part, they are dedicated, hard working and deserving of a raise. Don’t we want to attract the best? We need to make our school system more appealing.
This is in response to my critic where my opinion is that PTSD is a scam. The responder who allegedly has PTSD stated it is real and I shouldn’t be ignorant and to look it up and check out PTSD. My answer to that is: I’ve known about PTSD since the 80’s and before it was a buzz word for everyone that had a mental problem and I have looked up PTSD. In my opinion and after looking up its causes and how it adversely affects peoples’ lives, I’ve come to the conclusion that it is a scam and many people are alleging they have PTSD to obtain disability benefits. By 2009, 390,000 former military personnel were collecting benefits for PTSD from the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts and the Government has made it easier to apply for and collect these benefits. Supposedly, anyone having suffered a traumatic experience, whether in war or not, can apply for and collect PTSD. One Major at the Veteran’s Administration stated: “I can get anyone benefits if they just know how to lie.” Will people lie for money? Do I even have to ask the question? One guy was collecting 70% disability because of “anxiety, depression and non-combat related PTSD”. If you apply the criteria to obtain PTSD, then anyone who has ever been in a fight, car accident, or any other frightening experience, can have PTSD and collect disability. Its utter nonsense. Take a valium, stay busy, watch TV, seek counseling – do whatever you have to do to “get your mind right” but don’t keep trying to scam the American taxpayer with your PTSD claims. Toughen up; get on with your life. The billions of dollars paid out to the scammers should be reviewed with a more stringent standard for collecting disability and anyone caught working and collecting PTSD disability payments should be prosecuted for fraud and be given the maximum penalty under the law. That free money should be going to the truly needy people who deserve it and are physically disabled.
After reading today’s Westfield News I thought that I would comment on Mr. Knapik’s actions re: Westfield Day at the Big E. However, since it would appear he is under the aegis of the American’s with Disabilities Act, that would be in poor taste.
The two entries to the Pulse Line in reply to my original entry pertaining to the broken line in front of Pilgrim Candle were nothing short of ridiculous. One thing I would like to know is; how long ago did the gentleman who sent in the first reply take drivers-ed?? Secondly, have either of the gentlemen who wrote in actually had time to put on their blinkers and had people in ANY of the lanes, really pay attention!! And. I have tried to follow the rules by going into the left lane; then PUTTING ON MY BLINKER to get back into a lane going North; it is a nightmare. The Police Dept. knows this is an accident waiting to happen, but the State will not make a change. And by the way. Why do these GUYS who replied think the original entry was from a GUY?????
Dear PulseLine, I would like to comment on a couple of things that have been reported on in your newspaper. Recently on the front page there was an article about the ground breaking at the Southwick Regional Schools. State Rep. Nick Boyldga stated something along the lines that we had the best Administrator in Karl Stinehart west of 495. Well Mr. Boldyga must not read your paper. All I have seen is one administrative fiasco after another. Where do I begin? The private driveway that they wanted to pave, at first Mr. Stinehart was in favor then later changed his mind. The multiple Open Meeting Law violations that the Attorney General is finding, the tapping in of the SRC into the Whalley Park water pipe. The Ethics Complaint filed against Mr. Pinell for the Nicholson Hill Road paving. And now to top it all off with the paper the other day made it sound like there are a bunch of discrimination complaints that the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination is going to investigate. Oh and I almost forgot he had to hire a high price attorney from Worcester to help secure his job. This is all within the last few months. This is really the best guy west of 495, Mr. Boldyga you are spending too much time in Boston.
I wanted to thank the gentleman who found my bank card at the gas station on Saturday. To take the time on a beautiful Saturday afternoon to drive to the bank and return the card was remarkable. It truly made my day to know someone went out of their way for a stranger. The bank could not release the name so I’m using Pulse Line to say thank you. People are good, YOU are good. May all good things come your way. Thank you!
