Editor’s note: Some personal chords were struck by  Kelsey Harkness’  video report on one Maryland family’s bad brush with the nation’s lax school discipline policy. Their responses lead this week’s roundup of comments. Write us at letters@dailysignal.com—Ken McIntyre

Dear Daily Signal: Bullying is a bigger problem than school officials know or will admit, as indicated by Kelsey Harkness in her video report (“Their Son Is Suicidal Because of Bullying. They Blame on Obama-Era School Discipline Policy”).

My granddaughter is an honor roll student, beautiful and popular, and at 11 years old has already experienced two incidents of bullying by males that required parental visits to the school.—Sybil Priester-Arballo, San Antonio, Texas

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When my middle son was in the sixth grade, he was in line at school. The kid behind him shoved him and, when he turned around, gut-punched him.

My son did not fight back because the teacher stepped in immediately. However, my son was given a five-day suspension for “fighting.” When he told me about it, I called the principal the next morning and told him that I was bringing my son in and that I expected him and the teacher involved to be there.

When I got there, I made it clear that the suspension ended right then, and that any record of it was expunged. They complied.Mike Crognale

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Public school is fraught with peril, the worst being “group think” mindlessness. If you want children to get an education, get them out of public school.—Jill G. Colvin

 

Kelsey Harkness’ article was quite upsetting.  It’s a sad day in America when children are not able to enjoy a safe environment as they attend our public school system.

I’m a grandparent, and one of my grandchildren is struggling with school bullying.  One voice may not get it done, but I’m certain that many of your readers are frustrated with the policies left behind by the past administration. I’m praying that many others will also raise this concern to our folks in D.C.

Change is needed in Washington.  As one of my former bosses would quote to me: “If we always do what we’ve always done, we’ll always get what we’ve always gotten.”Roger Romero

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If parents can afford private, parochial schools they should definitely choose one. If not, they should consider moving into another school district, with a demonstrably better record of safety for students.Drew Page

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My son had to remove my grandson from public school and place him in a Christian school because of bullying. This was in first grade. The school seemed to be unable to control the issue.—Carole Lanigan, Coraopolis, Pa.

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About the bullying: Why didn’t the parents take their children out of school and school them at home?Dorothy Taylor

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Insane. No child should have to be bullied. Betsy DeVos, drop the Obama school discipline guidelines and get rid of the bullies, so students can feel safe at school.—Bonnie Bradford Champlin, Jonesville, La.

Trump Aims to Tame the Bureaucracy

Dear Daily Signal: Excellent commentary article by Jarrett Stepman about reforming the civil service (Debunking 3 Myths About Trump’s Moves to Make Bureaucrats More Accountable”). One of the biggest creatures in the federal swamp is the civil service system.

Its very design has become so flawed that even the best workers are pressured to “game the system” in order to get ahead. Trump’s move will anger many liberals, but it is exactly what must be done to make government service honorable again.—Steve Shannon, Houston

Anybody who’s ever had to deal with a government agency knows how inept and incompetent many public employees are.—Jeff Felicetti

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The civil service needs a complete overhaul to reward innovation and reduction of waste, and to make it easier to get rid of underperformers and down-size agencies.—Ron Peters

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Unelected bureaucrats have morphed into a “fourth” branch of government. Unaccountable and authoritarian policies do not service the American people.—Patti Walker

Dear Daily Signal: About Thomas Jipping’s commentary, “Democrat Obstruction in the Senate Is Hurting Our Courts”: The obstructionist behavior displayed by the Democrats and their RINO friends shows where their loyalties and concern are centered, and it is clearly not with their fellow citizens.—Barbara Stutler

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Thomas Jipping’s article was very enlightening regarding the process of judicial confirmations and how the Senate Democrats are obstructing. However, the Republicans are in the majority.

Are there some Republicans who have joined the Democrats in this obstruction? Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell certainly has some control over this.  He could at least extend the hours and days of sessions to get these confirmations done.Darrel Nash

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If the Democrats don’t want new judges, maybe those courts aren’t important enough to keep on the payroll. We can find out by eliminating the U.S. 9th Circuit for starters.—David G. Nickum, Shawnee, Kan.

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Democrats’ obstruction in the Senate is and has been hurting our nation for decades.—Keith Frezza

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Democrats learned this from the Republicans when they obstructed the Supreme Court justice nominated by the last administration.—Elden Larratt

What Police Can Do on Your Property

Dear Daily Signal: Regarding the commentary by Elizabeth Slattery and John-Michael Seibler, the problem is the fact that a cop thought he could trespass on private property without a warrant (“Supreme Court to Police: Get Off the People’s Lawn”).

Most Americans know this. However, some police officers believe people don’t know the proper protocol. That’s why they ask, “Do you mind if I search your vehicle?” Yes, I do mind. Please obtain a search warrant. I’ll wait.—Moe Searcy

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An officer is no different in authority than a U.S. citizen. Read a police charter.—Shane Glaze, Denham Springs, La.

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The police cannot inspect your car parked in your driveway, but Amazon and Google can know everything about you. No more right to privacy.—Prentis Parrish

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We need to revisit the “no knock” entry ruling as well. The rules were clear prior to 1963.

While the intentions of the Supreme Court were good, there has never been a ruling so abused and misunderstood. Entering homes via kicking down the door at 3 a.m. has done more to ruin the relationship between homeowner and police than any ruling in our history.

We can fix this and should. Both police officers and heads of household should have rights, and those rights should be clear.—Kenneth Hadley, Bolivar, Tenn.

Suing the Goose That Lays Golden Eggs

Dear Daily Signal: Let me see if I have this right from Fred Lucas’ story: The lawsuit against the federal government by this agency is because the federal government cut off funding that the agency uses to sue the federal government (“After Collecting $16 Million in Grants From Housing Department in Obama Era, Liberal Group Sues Agency Now”).—Melodie Patterson Smathers

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Thank you, HUD Secretary Ben Carson. These grants should not be given and I wish they would do away with these criminal lobby groups.—Jeannie Dietsche

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Let this organization post the salaries, expenses, and benefits of all their employees and let’s take a look at how they spend their money. I am willing to bet that their salaries are ridiculously high.—Gayle Jones West, Raleigh, N.C.

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Cleaning up the moochers.—Judy Wright Livingston, Watauga, Texas

Just What Can Trump and Mueller Do?

Dear Daily Signal: About Fred Lucas’ latest story on the Russia probe, just simply stop the witch hunt (“4 Key Questions About Trump’s and Mueller’s Constitutional Powers”).

Charge special counsel Robert Mueller and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein for wasting taxpayers’ money (fraud) and making false charges, take their law licenses, and let them serve some time.—Paul F. Dunwell III

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I can’t believe this is still going on. All because the Democrats were upset that Hillary Clinton lost the 2016 election.—Marie Winters

Do US Green Groups Collude With Russia Against Fracking?

Dear Daily Signal: Great job by Kevin Mooney of exposing not only Russian interference in our economy, but their manipulation of American political figures for their benefit (“The Connection Between Russia and 2 Green Groups Fighting Fracking in US”).

It would appear our politicians and government officials would prefer to waste time and resources trying to divert exposure of this situation by continuing to pursue the Russian election conspiracy. Keep up the good work.—Bill Przybyla

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Excellent article by Kevin Mooney. Russian President Vladimir Putin is definitely not concerned with the environment globally or in Russia, but what he is concerned with is getting market share for Russian oil and gas and the euros it brings into his authoritarian state.

I am sickened about how devious American environmental organizations will knowingly and intentionally go to get funding to fight fossil fuel production. There is no bottom for these environmental-possessed mutts.

This is real Russian collusion, accepting these donations to undermine and politically squash energy production in America.—Larry Himes

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Thanks for Kevin Mooney’s investigative reporting. I just wanted to add a little to the information in his article.

For five years, I was a contractor to the Energy Information Administration of the Department of Energy. I was an expert on natural gas. I have never seen a confirmed incident of fracking causing a “natural environmental disaster.”

Fracking has been done successfully for over 50 years. The incidents recounted in the liberal media all have been debunked, with the reason usually being that a company failed to follow appropriate industry or state safety standards.

It is truly sad, as Mooney’s article mentioned, that New York and other states react to emotionally driven rather than fact-based reasoning. Only innocent consumers will pay the price for agenda-driven decisions.—Andy Wilkerson

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Russia’s leaders and tree-huggers have at least two things in common: 1) they both want to destroy our free enterprise system and 2) they both believe in more government control by oligarchs.

I’m sure the EPA is infested with environmentalists who really see global warming as a threat because of research using models designed to reach a preconceived expectation and, like a mule with blinders and earplugs, don’t want to see or hear the truth.

The Russians just see a bunch of naive people they can use to their advantage in diminishing our economic strength and prosperity.—Brannen Edwards, Savannah, Ga. 

This and That

Dear Daily Signal: Don’t rejoice yet over the abortion case in Arkansas (“Supreme Court Declined to Hear Arkansas Abortion Case. Here’s What That Means”). As Elizabeth Slattery writes in her commentary:  “The court’s decision not to take up a case does not shed light on the justices’ views on the merits of the case.”

Indeed, it’s possible that this very challenge could end up back at the Supreme Court in the future.—Tim Valdez

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I was just introduced to Amy Swearer’s writings. Wow! What a fantastic commentary writer she is.

Always backs up her case with facts, references, and studies. I am truly enjoying reading what she has to say. Thanks, Amy!Ron Longoria

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Betsy DeVos may be the best secretary of education in a while. However, I notice no movement to restore teaching Jesus’ Gospel and prayer to schools of all kinds.

The goal is to turn new Americans into good citizens—whether new by birth or immigration. Which is underlined by the fact that Theodore Roosevelt said people familiar with the Bible are worth more than people with a college degree.Kirk W. Fraser, Clatskanie, Ore.

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Israel has armed teachers in school. No shootings there. Terrorism does not go there.—Jean Clarkson

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How Are We Doing?

Dear Daily Signal: My background as a professional writer includes many years of work for a Fortune 100 company. My projects covered many aspects of communication, from Web writing and design to computer-based training, corporate manuals, and many other internationally utilized documents.

Additionally, I am currently a master’s student and make 100 percent on most of my research papers.

As an accomplished writer, I must tell you a hard truth: Your use of an opening “paragraph” (which is not, in fact, a paragraph) in italicized text to introduce the topics is … well … nauseatingly ignorant.

Your articles, on the other hand, are thought-provoking and well-written.

Please utilize a more appealing opening style. Your current approach is like turning in a resume with coffee stains on it. Quit attempting to be “cute” or “different.” Be professional.

Because I wish for your success, I felt I had to provide this feedback.Rita Pearl

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We appreciate your independent coverage. Our only suggestion: In articles such as the one concerning the despicable behavior of Jimmy Kimmel, could you include an email address whereby we could express our displeasure directly with the individual?

We are too old to be familiar with tweets and Twitters, but we do employ email on a regular basis. Could this be done, please? Thanks again for your labors, they are highly appreciated.—John and Lydia Schibbelhut

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Very well, thank you. It is refreshing to read well-written, thoughtful, conservative articles each morning.Mariann Thompson

The Democratic Party should not be called liberals. They are socialists and should be addressed as such. Bernie Sanders established that greatly. They cannot deny it.  Let us hear more commentaries stating that.Doug Bruneau

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You’re doing a great job. Thank you so much.Laura Worley

Good news. Trump is really moving in a positive direction for our country and the world.Ralph Andrea

Your articles are wonderful. Thank you and God bless you.Bernadette Kozak

Jeremiah Poff helped to compile this column.