Commentaries
January 09, 2008Commentaries is where Minnesota Public Radio welcomes your thoughtful opinion about current events and issues. Commentaries are like letters to the editor. To be considered for publication, your commentary should be issue-related, clearly written, and follow our Terms of Use. New insights into ongoing topics are especially welcome. Not all commentaries received are published. For topical interaction with others, visit the discussion groups.
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Child safety should come first
What the quoted father's groups contend and believe is not supported by evidence. [MPR News: Child custody law up for review] Most cases settle out of court. Parents who have the ability and motivation to make joint custody successful are free to do so. The most highly contested cases represent a small fraction of divorce cases that take up the bulk of the court's time and resources, and it is these highly contested cases that are least able to succeed in making joint physical custody workable. Contested cases often have evidence of domestic violence, child abuse, substance abuse, or other issues that raise safety concerns.
In any custody decision the safety of children and parents should come first, but a presumption of joint custody puts safety in the back seat. California had a presumption favoring joint custody for a number of years but demoted the presumption based on increasing evidence of the wear and tear on children being shuttled between households.
This fails to present the case against establishing this presumption. Judges need real tools to assist them in seeing the safety needs of all parties, not short sighted short cuts like presumptions. Children's rights to safety and stability should prevail over any rigid formula for parental access.
Stephanie Avalon
Minneapolis, Minn.
Minnesota schools need more than Teach for America
That Teach For America is considering expansion here should serve as a wake-up call to the state that our poorest students are severely under-served, and that we must therefore create incentives for the best, most-qualified educators to teach in those districts. [MPR News: Teach for America looks to expand into Minnesota] TFA is not the answer. The last thing Minnesota's students need are unqualified and inexperienced teachers with little intention of staying in the field.
It's a great mystery to me how TFA has built such a tremendous reputation on so few results. True, their corps members genuinely care about the students they serve, but that's no substitute for a teaching certificate and any amount of educational experience. I, for one, hope they'll stay clear of our state.
Joey Iverson
St. Paul, Minn.
Reluctance for runoff voting is puzzling
Why are politicians specifying that they do not want instant runoff voting? [MPR News: Is a runoff election a better way?]
From what I understand, it would have the same effect, but not cost any additional money. IRV is where you rank candidates in order of preference. If no candidate gets a clean majority, the votes from the "least popular" candidates are redistributed to the voters' second preference, and so on, until one candidate has a clear win.
I really do not like the idea of spending millions of dollars to hold unclear elections.
Brinsley Davis
Minneapolis, Minn.
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