Firing the entire faculty of a school? As long as we're putting schools under the microscope, let's put one in particular a little more under that microscope.

President Obama has supported firing all the teachers in a Rhode Island school, partly because of low test scores. The apparent assumption is that every single teacher in that school is at fault.

I can't pretend to know all that was involved, but are there absolutely zero exceptions among the teachers? Everybody out with the bathwater?

What aren't they telling us?

One other reason for the firings that we have been told, and that gets little publicity, is the teachers' refusing to eat lunch with the students without any compensation. That may not seem like a big deal to people who have never taught in a school with poorly performing high school students. However, it shouldn't take much to imagine the potentially vulnerable environment in that lunchroom.

Besides, lunchtime is an opportunity for teachers to spend time with other adults, so they can refresh themselves, so they can perform during the second half of the day, and so they can perhaps share some ideas that may help enhance service to those students.

In the meantime, there are just too many unanswered questions that the media hasn't investigated or reported.

We're waiting.

JIM BARTOS

BROOKLYN PARK

Missing Americans' real concerns Obama and the Democrats aren't getting the big picture. They are concentrating on one tree instead of looking at the forest as a whole picture.

People are more concerned about having a job right now than health insurance.

Obama may be extremely intelligent and give inspirational speeches, but he is not proving to be the leader we need.

They approved $16 billion to create jobs for the entire country? The need is more like at least $400 billion if he is going to have a real impact.

Even with a filibuster-proof Senate, the Democrats couldn't agree among themselves long enough to pass something to help their constituents who are in dire straits.

I am appalled that they have spent all of their honeymoon goodwill on plans that bailed out the people who caused this economic catastrophe without getting anything in return for the taxpayers who bailed them out.

It looks as though the financial institutions have gone back to the same-old same-old and are feeling secure knowing that they will get bailed out yet again if something happens again because of their greed and short-term outlook.

We need JOBS, a separate agency to protect consumers and affordable health care.

Get moving and do the job that you were elected to do. Now!

DIANE KELLEHER

ROBBINSDALE