Gov. Lynch has been traveling throughout the state promoting his latest education plan: raising the dropout age from 16 to 18.

He made a recent stop at Pelham High School and congratulated Billy Burns, an 18-year-old who wanted to drop out, but with the help of staff members at the school, finally got his diploma.

It's a great story – and a great plan. Who can argue against it?

The dropout age hasn't been changed since 1903, when school wasn't a necessity for a person to make his or her way in the world. Now, education is the key to getting a good job and achieving success. Preventing teens from dropping out will benefit both them and society.

But the simple act of making the dropout age two years older is not going to be enough to prevent some kids from leaving school. The kids who really don't want to be there simply won't go. And then what happens? How will the plan be enforced? Will towns be required to add more truant officers to round up these kids? Will the courts be overloaded with truancy cases? Will it become just another unfunded mandate like the No Child Left Behind act?

While Lynch's plan is a good one and will probably be most helpful to those who are on the fence about dropping out, more options must be made available.

More programs for kids who are not academically inclined need to be put into place. Better classes and counseling to direct these students into a path in which they can succeed have to be created.

We applaud the governor's attempt to do something to make sure these students don't fall through the cracks, but it's important to remember that without something solid to support it, it won't be enough.

— Editorials published by Neighborhood News Inc. are written by an editorial board. The board is composed of Publisher and President Amy J. Vellucci, Executive Editor Ginger Kozlowski, Managing Editor Christine Heiser and News Editor Susan Clark.

Our district collected more than 40,000 food items.

Many thanks to all of the generous residents of Hopkinton that helped make this year's food drive a success! And kudos to everyone involved for your enthusiasm and hard work!

Cub Scout Pack 77
Hopkinton

By volunteering just a few hours a month, you can make a significant difference in the life of an abused or neglected child in your own community.

Hundreds of children in New Hampshire are forced into the court system each year as a result of neglect, abuse or other crimes against them. Many move through the judicial process alone, afraid and unable to speak for themselves or help determine a future that is in his or her best interest.

Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) of New Hampshire volunteers work to provide a voice for these children, and to ensure that a child's "best interest" is being presented to the court. CASA of New Hampshire Inc. is a statewide private, nonprofit organization dedicated to helping abused and neglected children through the New Hampshire child welfare and juvenile court systems to safe, permanent homes.

CASA of NH is currently working with more than 1,000 child victims across the state.

The holiday season is a time to be thankful for what we have and remember those less fortunate.

You have the power to start making a difference for New Hampshire's abused and neglected children.

Call (800) 626-0622 today or e-mail speakup@casanh.org and join the effort to bring New Hampshire's children home.

Diane Peragine,
Training and Recruitment Coordinator
CASA of New Hampshire

Precious resources such as our water and pure air are to be sacrificed so that a developer can make a quick profit.

He dangles before us the hope that our property taxes will be lowered by giving up our small, rural town atmosphere for his development.

How many times has this happened to the open spaces in the towns and cities of New Hampshire with the promise of lower taxes, jobs, etc., only to be followed by urban sprawl, lowend jobs and higher taxes due to the need for more services and improvements to the infrastructure – needed by the developer, but paid for by the taxpayers?

Will the residents of Bow be smarter and put a stop to the rape of their town? Will they say NO to the proposed change in zoning from residential to commercial for the 67-acre parcel off of Route 89 and Logging Hill Road?

We, the taxpayers of Bow, have the opportunity to put an end to this and keep the country lifestyle we now enjoy by voting against this rezoning at Town Meeting in May and by letting the Bow Planning Board know that we are opposed to such rezoning.

Joyce Benson
Bow

When they return from the Thanksgiving recess, they will be voting to extend $70 billion in tax cuts that will benefit the wealthiest Americans. Both have said these cuts are necessary to trim the deficit yet, according to the Tax Policy Center, the tax cuts to people with incomes over $200,000 a year have cost $43 billion this year.

Recently, 560 people who were employed by CCT of Bedford and Merrimack lost their jobs without warning. They also lost their health benefits. At a time when they may well need food stamps or Medicaid, our own congressmen are voting to cut vital safety net programs.

The so-called "Star Wars" missile defense program has cost roughly $100 billion in the last 20 years, and it still doesn't work. It is estimated that another $55 billion will be sunk into this unsuccessful project by 2010.

If our elected officials were truly concerned with eliminating wasteful spending, this would be an excellent starting point. Last year, 48,449 New Hampshire residents received food stamps. The New Hampshire Food Bank distributed a million more pounds of food than they did the year before.

Our state food banks empty as quickly as they are filled. The cost of heating oil is skyrocketing, as is the cost of housing. When our congressmen are willing to rob programs for the needy to give to the rich, do they share our New Hampshire values?

We can personally help fill the food banks here, but we had better call our congressmen to see that justice is done on the national level.

Rose H. Arthur
Merrimack