The Wall Street high flyers whose greed and stupidity nearly wrecked the economy and who are now gearing up for their bailout must be laughing all the way to the bank -- or out of the bank, as the case may be.

Perhaps we could take a lesson from the Japanese, who have rituals for dealing with public figures who disgrace themselves. It's too much to expect these arrogant scoundrels to commit hara-kiri, but at least they could collectively go on national TV and accept public humiliation.

Or how about they contribute a hundred million or so to a worthy cause and volunteer for a stint in the Peace Corps, Teach for America or Habitat for Humanity? Now I'm really dreaming!

-- Paul Boyer, Madison

Support Madison schools referendum

Myth: If my property assessment is going up, my school tax must be too. Fact: State law prevents school boards from raising taxes by more than about 2 percent per year, unless voters pass a referendum. According to my property tax bills, although our house has increased in value 60 percent since 1999, our school tax has increased only 17 percent.

Myth: Referendum money goes to raises for teachers. Fact: Another law effectively sets salary and benefit increases for school staff at 3.8 percent per year. Given double-digit increases in health care costs, teachers aren't near 3.8 percent raises.

Myth: When the school board warns of cuts to programs, it's a scare tactic to pass a referendum. Fact: Personnel costs make up 85 percent of the Madison schools' budget. And the state requires schools to fund services such as special education, but state funding for those services has been dropping.

When our personal expenses rise faster than our income, we give up extras, then look for ways to reduce expenses. That's where the district is now. The only way to avoid laying off teachers and increasing class sizes is to pass a referendum to increase income. Support the Madison School District referendum in November.

-- Sherri Swartz, Madison

Electors need views on free trade treaties

The bottom line to security is having a good-paying job with good benefits, like we used to have before the free trade treaties were passed and our manufacturing base moved overseas.

The first priority of a new president is to get those treaties canceled. There's no way we can maintain our standard of living without a manufacturing base with tariffs to make it possible for us to compete with cheap imports. Also, reduce the cost to small businesses through government taxes and regulations.

Taxing the rich and giving it to the poor is not a solution to the loss of jobs. Don't the liberal do-gooders realize that a tax on the rich is a tax on the lower income classes? The rich just raise the prices on products and services to cover the tax and maintain their standard of living.

It's strange that neither presidential candidate has said a word about the devastating effect the free trade treaties have had on our economy.

-- Kenneth M. Hall, Madison

UW: Help students, don't enable them

A recent State Journal article titled "College students go sober" detailed efforts to mentor students in sobriety through a program called "Connections Counseling," the goal of which is abstinence from alcohol use.

The students who sought help revealed "bottoming out" experiences that led them to seek help. I have a message for these students: You can do it, you can change. Through your wise choices, you will have a better opportunity for a bright future. You may even be a catalyst for a cultural shift at UW-Madison.

Two words seldom connected in today's culture are "change" and "abstinence," unless they are characterized as mutually exclusive. If we accept that, we will continue to have negative results.

Students who went to "Connections" realized that they needed help to achieve sobriety, and they went against the prevailing culture at UW-Madison to get it.

A good culture is one in which it's made easy to be good. This should be a wake-up call for UW-Madison. We are letting students down by enabling "bottoming out" behaviors and saying change and abstinence are mutually exclusive.

-- Mark Kimble, Madison

Was CORE formed just to support ATC?

I read that an organization, the Coalition Organized for Reliable Energy, was formed to promote reliable energy. What a noble endeavor -- everyone needs reliable energy.

But it seems their only focus to ensure reliability in the grid is to support American Transmission Company's 345-kilowatt transmission line project.

As a property owner along the Beltline corridor, I want to know what else these folks are prepared to do to ensure a reliable grid. Will they promote conservation and load control? If they own businesses, will they cut back on usage by upgrading their lighting systems? Will they adjust their air conditioners?

I could have part of my property seized for the good of the community, and if I dare to ask if there's a better way, I'm labeled a "NIMBY."

A reliable grid is an important mission, but if all you are prepared to do is encourage building transmission lines, that's unfair to those of us who may have to put our children to bed within 30 yards of a high voltage line.

-- James Butcher, Madison

Dems, not GOP, now represent security

The world has turned topsy-turvy and the Republican Party no longer represents true conservatives. The GOP is now the biggest danger to our financial and national security.

Republicans are no longer the party that is "pro-business" but are now "pro-multinational corporation." They tell us that the media is "liberal" and yet it is almost entirely owned by giant corporations.

Republican leaders speak to our deep fears of financial loss while endangering our country with fraud and greed.

Republicans encourage us to vote for "English only" programs but do nothing to stop the big businesses that employ illegal immigrants.

Republicans tap into our fears of having our taxes raised, but their wars and their fraud are causing us financial ruin.

With Republicans in charge we are losing our fundamental constitutional rights at home and disgracing ourselves in the eyes of the world by practicing torture.

The Republican Party is making us the laughing stock of the world with unqualified candidates, an educational system that makes us uncompetitive in the global economy, and a health care system that is a disgrace.

I want leaders who are better educated than I am and are respected around the world. The party that will keep us financially secure and strong is now the Democratic Party.

-- Vivian Creekmore, Milton