The Canadian Record (Canadian, Tex.), Vol. 118, No. 16, Ed. 1 Thursday, April 17, 2008 Page: 2 of 36

THURSDAY 1 "7 APRIL 2DDS
THE CANADIAN RECORD
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
The day care crisis in Canadian
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'Hill
AS YOU ALL ARE AWARE by now, the
YMCA daycare crisis is causing quite a strain
on the community. As a working mother of two
young children, this problem weighs on my
mind daily.
This week, April 14-18, is "The Week of the
Young Child." It is the one week out of the year
that we celebrate the children in our communi-
ty, and the teachers who have influenced their
lives. As I dropped my child off at the YMCA
daycare Monday morning, a huge poster read-
ng "Children bring Canadian together" was on
display. As my child was
greeted with cheerful
hugs from friends ex-
cited to start their day,
I thought how true this
very statement is, and
how sad this statement
hangs in a daycare on
the brink of closure.
How sad that this
will be the last time
"The Week of the
Young Child" will be
somewhat celebrated
at the YMCA. I saw
"somewhat" because
the annual parent night
meal held during this
week was cancelled due
to lack of staff. Instead, parents can come share
breakfast or lunch with their child any day this
week. This just isn't the same. Every year the
teachers and kids work hard on artwork, songs
and many other projects to proudly display on
parent's night. Everywhere you look, there is a
mom or dad with a camera in hand. Everywhere
you look, there is a child with a huge smile on his
or her face because they feel special and proud
of all that they have accomplished.
How sad that a whole year's worth of teach-
ers' love, hard work, dedication and enthusiasm
will not be shared with the parents of the cl 1-
dren it was passed on to. How sad that a child's
joy of learning will not be vividly displayed and
eagerly shared with all.
Yet this all pales in comparison to the impact
the daycare crisis has on our community. It is
sad that it will affect numerous families. How-
ever, the true sadness will be felt by the children
who attend the daycare. For years they have
been influenced by Ms. Cathy and Ms. Debbie.
They were showered with compass ion and love,
developed a love for learning, and developed
friendships. For most of these children, this all
ends on May 31.
Yes, this is such a sad situation. It is sad that
the YMCA board has handled this delicate sit-
uation in such an unprofessional manner. As a
parent of a child in the daycare program and as
a member of the YMCA, I was appalled and in
shock when I pulled a note off my child's cubby
nforming me of the daycare closure. I know I
was not the only person who felt this way.
I was also offended when I discovered that
the so-called "visionary meeting" was nvita-
tion only. My family and I have held a member-
ship at the YMCA for years. We frequent the fa-
cility at least 2-3 times a week. Isn't our input
mportant? The YMCA may feel the sadness
too, when memberships begin to decrease after
May 31.
Yes, children bring Canad ian together...in so
many ways. As we celebrate the young child, this
week, let's keep the children of Canadian in our
minds and hearts, and start looking for positive
ways to resolve this crisis.
HEATHER LEE
I HAVE BEEN WATCHING the paper very
closely since the Y.M.C.A said they were clos-
ng the daycare. I thought about writing a let-
ter when this all started. I was mad, and to say
the least I think t would have sounded tacky.
So I'm going to try to get my point across
without making anyone mad. The YMCA was
my first ob in Canadian. I remember being
asked if I had any experience with kids. My
response was that I had 2 younger brothers.
I didn't think I would have got the job but I
did. I had no idea what I was in for. I learned
many things from Cathy and Debbie. Among
them I learned how to talk with the children,
how to have fun, and best of all, to expect the
unexpected.
A week after the first paper came out with
the YMCA decision, I was surprised to find
that none of the parents or staff had wrote any-
thing. Then I was very excited to see that finally
someone had stepped up and wrote something.
I admit my first response to being laid off was
anger, I mean we worked hard to get to where
we were and then the rug was pulled out from
under us.
I think now we need to get together and fig-
ure out some way to get things right. No matter
f it is a wall to be bu lit, or funds to pay the staff.
If we all work together and pray I know things
will work out.
There use to be a s ign posted up on one of the
bulletin boards at the YMCA. "Work together
or surely we will fall" , I wonder what happen
to that idea?
We really need to come together and save
the YMCA daycare, for the sake of our Kids.
LARAINE SCROGGINS
Katie, Hillary & Me
By Ralbin L. Mitchell
I DON'T WANT TD START anything , but if the good ole boy's club
at CBS News kicks Katie Cour se to the curb as has been rumored
this week—they've lost me as a viewer. Forever.
I mean it. No more Big Brother Ad Infinitum. No more CSI
Anywheresville. I am done with The Not-So-Amazing Race. And
as far as the critically-acclaimed drama, Jericho? Well, I'll just
have to get along without it. Wait a minute....too late on that last
one it's been canceled.
Figures.
The testosterone-fueled brain trust who brings us dumb and
dumber primetime programming every freaking night of the
week has decided—again, according to the gossip mills—that
their multi million dollar investment in Ms. Couric has not yielded
the returns ratings-wise that they expected.
Huh? Wonder what complex algorhythmic-based-focus-
grouped-to-death-marketing-CYA nincompoop came up with
that theory? It's just not possible that the eyeball network's less-
than-stellar-ratings have anything to do with programming that
makes Wheel of Fortune look like a better-dressed-and-tressed
Mensa pastime, is it? That viewers might be opting for none-of-
the-above when presented with a nightly array of reality shows
that are cheaper than
dirt to produce?
Turns out that—like hand lotion and leather shoes—when t
comes to television shows, you really do get what you pay for.
These relatively inexpensive to produce, actor-less, script-less,
brain-less, talent-less weekly dramadies have all the cultural and
social value of Cheese Whiz, white bread and Spam. Tastes great
for a minute. Then your better angels kick in, making you wonder
what the heck you just consumed.
Oh, it worked for a while.
RT. Barnum said it a hundred years ago and he was right: no
one ever went bust underestimating the taste of the American
public. Thing is, I think the jig may be up. I think it's possible that
the TV-consuming American public may have gotten tired with
turning over our public airwaves to these behemoth companies for
free and being rewarded with 20 minutes per hour of erectile dys-
function commercials bookending content unf it for man nor beast.
Unless, of course, said man or beast is brain-dead, and even then
I'm not too sure that some primitive synapse in the man/beast's
medulla oblongata won't eventually kick in and ask, "What kind of
crap is this I'm watching?"
What does this have to do with Katie and Hillary you ask? Well,
Les Moonves and the boys—who a year ago proved their manage-
ment acumen by firing Don Imus for exercising his constitution-
ally-protected-right-to-free-speech-unless-it-has-to-do-with-
race—have once again pooled their overpaid, underworked, deci -
sions-by-fearmongering, y-chromosomed team and decided firing
Ms. Couric is just the thing to revitalize their flailing/slumping/
wilting/flaceid...er, I mean... network. Net-work.
Similarly, the talking heads have decided to boost their ratings
and substitute cheap-and-easy candidate bashing rather thar in-
sightful political analysis when discussing Senator Clinton and
Senator Obama's ongoing battle-to-the-death nomination con-
test.
So far, we've heard more about Hillary Clinton's choice of pant-
suit than about her comprehensive plan to solve the current health
care crisis. The media has spent hours and days dissecting such
salient topics as the Clinton's tax returns (what kind of money are
you taking
home these days, Charles Gibson?), her verbal Bosnia gaffe (oh,
for God's sake who really gives a rat's patootie?) and her husband's
Freudian proclivities and little time reporting how both candi-
dates plan to confront the economic downturn.
Improving education? Fixing the Bush administration's for-
eign policy morass? Figuring out how mortal, middle-class work-
ng Americans are going to pay to fill-up their gas tanks? Nah,
why spend time on those frivolities when we can talk about Hillary
throwing back shots, Barack's gutter balls and Senator McCain's
KATIE, HILLARY G ME...CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE