Reduce pay, save money

All of our governing bodies face a budget crunch. Layoffs are looming.

I propose a different means to solve the problem.

An across-the-board pay reduction seems to be a lot less detrimental and disruptive to the communities. Five or 10 percent may be enough to keep all the necessary positions filled with people who already know the ropes, and there would be

no gaps in services. If there are unneeded positions, fine, eliminate them.

If there are unnecessary services, delete them, too. Unions may want their members at a lower rate and may be willing to negotiate contracts.

But the snowballing disruption to families with lost jobs and benefits, and the impact on the community, are hard to overcome in future years.

Some employees may want to keep their positions at 90 percent salaries. Some might have other endeavors to pursue and opt for a buyout. Good.

Others in mid-career may not find replacement jobs that approach even 50 percent of pay and want to stay.

Retraining new employees in the future will be costly, and the experience of the current staff will be lost.

Living with a reduction in salary is easier than losing it. I strongly recommend to the powers-that-be that a really critical evaluation of the long-term effects of position elimination be investigated.

Terry Slaton

Federal Way

Shattering disability stereotypes

Do you think a physically disabled child can’t be a cheerleader?

If so, this past Sunday, my daughter would have shattered that stereotypical opinion. After two major surgeries in the past year and a half and intensive therapies, my daughter performed with 100 cheerleaders as a Federal Way Hawks cheerleader in the PSJFL cheer competition.

It brought tears to my eyes as I searched the rows of cheerleaders imagining that my disabled cheerleader would stand out — and she didn’t. She blended in with the rest of her team.

Many thanks goes to Coach Eileen Uson and Coach Kari Schild and the Federal Way Hawks for creating a welcoming, inclusive environment for my daughter.

They shattered another stereotype: Cheerleaders don’t have to be in cliques.

Indeed the Federal Way Hawks cheerleaders are enthusiastically friendly and accepting.

Sandra MacDonald

Tacoma